


Twisted Thorns

by Player_1



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Heart shenanigans, Heart-Sharing (Kingdom Hearts), KH Union X speculations/spoilers, KH canon divergence, KH2 canon divergence, Mild Language, Nobody Ephemer/White Coat Ephemer (Kingdom Hearts), Other, Panic Attacks, Plot confusion (for Ephemer), Possession, Sharing a Body, Twilight Thorn is Ephemer's Nobody (implied/mentioned)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:08:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22354621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Player_1/pseuds/Player_1
Summary: Unbeknownst to everyone but himself, an ancient briar creeps closer and closer to the confines of his heart; each thorn wanting to hollow him out and call its own home.(Just a crazy What-if story where Twilight Thorn (Ephemer's Nobody) manages to possess Roxas and searches for a way to get his own body, and his own life back. Of course Sora, being the lovable goof he is, agrees to help him later down the line.)
Relationships: Naminé & Riku (Kingdom Hearts), Riku & Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Roxas & Sora (mentioned), other relationships mentioned
Comments: 3
Kudos: 28





	1. Revival

The 3rd Day

All I wanted was a normal summer vacation.   
To just hang out with my friends, eat ice-cream, pretzels and watermelon, play on the beach and enjoy the sun, just anything that makes summer worth it...But no.  
 _Apparently_ bad luck seems to revolve around me these days.  
My pictures get stolen (the _word_ as well, for some reason...), those weird noodly-people start popping up, I get _mugged_ and no one knows about it, I run into this disappearing girl in white, Seifer and his lackeys get frozen in time, and now...I have to deal with _this._

And even if I have this oversized key to help me beat these freaks, more so dragging me around like a rag doll, but it doesn't give me a break until this thing's dead.  
Of course, the only other problem is trying to hit this thing.  
While it stays still long enough for me to deal a few swings to its head, those creepy-crawlers and those shadowy thorns seem to hound me every turn I get.  
While the crawlers were pretty easy to beat and thorns were relatively easy to dodge, the severity of these attacks doubled, leaving my stamina cut in half and dwindling fast.  
Even if I wanted it dead, this beast hasn't made a move yet...Then why doesn't it try to kill _me_ yet?

Shouldn't it just stomp on me?  
Crush me like a grape with those giant mitten-hand-things?  
Of course, I'm attacking it, it should pick its own fight, huh!?

Thankfully enough, but unfortunately so, it scooped me up in its clutches; leaving my pounding heart to replace the clamber of metal on the floor.  
 _Is this it?  
Is this my end?_

The wind whistled in my ear as I was tossed like a simple toy, reaching the fragile glass mural in no time.  
I felt no pain, but I heard nothing else...All I could see was the dazzling fragments of color.

_Oh well...I guess I'm not going to the beach right now..._

~~~~

My lungs shaking, taking every second of breath.  
My skin, warmed by the sun above.  
My fingers, trembling with pins and needles as I scratched at the dust.  
My heart...proudly beating...

I awoke to the sound of laughter, words jumbling in the midsummer air as I struggled to my feet.  
"-How about another one, y'know?" A rather muscular teen goaded as a girl held up a strange black box, flashing intermittently as their third friend flexed all the while.  
"Wha-...What are you doing?" My voice was strained as ever, but functional enough to not be a strangled whisper.  
  
 _My voice...Why does it sound so strange?_

"Keepsake." The girl simply said, amber-red eyes looking more than proud of my embarrassment.   
"Those freaks in the white jumpsuits are gone, y'know?"  
  
 _Freaks...White jumpsuits?_

"...Where did they go?" I scanned the open field, finding not a single silvery thing out-of-place in this sunset-baked arena.  
"We drove them off, that's what." The man explained, almost bored at my question; "And if they don't wise up to the rules around here, I might have to take 'disciplinary measures'."  
"Oh yeah, Seifer's always lookin' after the town, y'know?"  
  


 _Seifer, that's his name?  
_ _If he's so high and mighty, what does he get for humiliating me like that?_

Even with my head swarming with question after question, buzzing alongside this terrible headache, I heard another set of footsteps coming to a still.  
Three other townsfolk _(this is a town, right? Another world,_ _maybe?)_ ; a guy with a gray jacket and camo pants, a girl with an orange t-shirt, and another boy with a red tee and headband stare back at me, a mixture of confusion and betrayal in their eyes.  
Of course, before I could get anything out, they turn their backs and run up the street's incline, possibly to another district in town.

"-Hey, wait up!" I stumbled on my feet, only slightly though, as I tried to catch up to the three.   
Feeling the wind blow in my face, whistling in my ears.  
My feet pounding on the concrete, muscles slowly burning.  
My lungs gasping for air, shuddering at the adrenaline.  
My heart pounding with this sudden thrill.  
  


 _My heart...proudly pounding...  
_ _It's my heart, right?  
_ _I feel so alive..._

I could barely hold back a laugh, ringing for the world and myself alone.  
 _I can feel and breathe, touch and talk, I can actually feel life flowing through me...  
There's nothing holding me back anymore, not even the chains of destiny.  
Finally...After so long...  
  
_ _Finally, I'm free..._

~~

Somewhere above, a deep rattling echoed through this little nook, even if the three teens sat around eating blue popsicles without a care, though they didn't bother a glance at me.  
"So...You hung out with Seifer's gang today?"  
"-Huh? Not at all, it wasn't like that at all." _I mean...It wasn't like they were going to believe what actually happened. _  
Pushing the thought aside, I bashfully scratched the back of my head.  
  
"So, um...What do you want to do today?"   
"We were planning on going to the beach." The girl piped up, already feeling down; "But it wouldn't be the same without you, Roxas."  
  


_...Roxas?_

"Oh, I see..." I cast my gaze down, trying to hide this panic invading my chest.   
_Come on, hurry, I need to think of something..._  
"...What about tomorrow?" I started off nice and slow, hoping not to sound strange myself; "That will be fun, right?"  
The camo kid only flashed a light scowl. "I promised to be somewhere tomorrow."

_Roxas...Was that the boy I saw before?  
But that's not right...He should be Ven, right?  
That was his heart I sensed, right?_

"I'm outta here." He hopped off his seat, brushing past my shoulder without a second thought.

[Hayner...]

I was rooted to the spot, even as the headband-kid and girl looked towards the summer sunset.

[Pence...Olette...]

 _Just calm down...I don't need to worry about all of this right now...  
_ _It's just a bit of a mixup, right?  
_ _There had to be some kind of mistake, I'm sure there's hundreds of other teens that look like Ven, right?  
_ _I just need to calm down and breathe...That's nothing I can't do...  
Just calm down...and breathe..._

~~

I awoke to the sound of birds chirping in the distance, my brain lightly reeling at the persistent throb that remained of yesterday.  
 _Must have been a bad night..._  
Sitting up on the moderately-stiff mattress, I took in the gray shorts and monochrome t-shirt I was dressed in.  
 _Did I get changed beforehand? It's not like those kids changed me, that'll be weird...  
_ _Maybe my head's out of it today...It all felt like a lucid dream, really..._

With a disheartening sigh, I placed a hand to my chest, hoping to use up some mana for something useful this morning.  
"Cura."

Nothing, not even a spark of magic.

"Huh?" I patted my chest, as if that would kickstart something. "Come on, what gives?"  
 _Did I use up my energy somehow? I don't really get why, I was feeling pretty chipper yesterday, ri-  
  
_  
The realization hit me like a Darkside's fist, now feverishly taking in the room I found myself in.  
Books were cluttered on the built-in shelf, stars were strewn about the bedroom, pulsing and glowing, even with a strange globe with fish by the bedside and a possibly-metal box sat on the other side of the chamber; it seemed comforting, sure, but this wasn't helping my situation in the slightest. 

"Where am I? _Chirithy_?" Even with my overriding distress, Chirithy hasn't appeared.  
 _That has to be something bad, right?  
Chirithy's supposed to be connected to my heart, he can't just go missing, right?  
I just need to calm down first...There has to be a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of this, right?_

I ran a hand through my hair, and I stopped right then and there. I felt no curls...  
 _To the Light, please tell me they didn't cut my hair. I worked so hard on it!_

I scrambled to my feet, static marking every step as I searched everywhere for some kind of mirror. Luckily enough, the unusual metal box seemed to do the trick, the black glass reflecting the truth in no time at all.  
With ocean-blue eyes, a single golden spike, and generally boyish features staring back at me, I naturally yelped in surprise; scrambling back for some useless distance.  
  


"What the hell happened to me!?" I pinched my cheeks, not waking up from this nightmare of a reality; "Did I do this? And Roxas, he-..."   
Surprisingly, and unfortunately enough, I didn't hear the blonde's voice in my head (should that be something in this kind of situation?); and past my own heart hammering in ~~my~~ _his_ chest, I felt the predecessor's own, gently beating and undeterred by my own anxiety attack.  
 _That's good, I guess...At least I don't have to worry about him screaming in my ear.  
Still, I feel bad for this Roxas kid.  
_ _If it was Ven, that would've been way too weird, even for the both of us..._

Even with that so-called joke, I stifled another groan, burying my face in defeat.  
"What in the World am I supposed to do? I can't just steal his life like this..." I sighed once again, looking towards my despondent gloom; "What are the others going to say?"  
 _I thought possession was some crazy tall-tale, but here I am, living the dream...  
_ _I didn't want this, I just want my life back...There has to be something I can do..._

  
Like a light in a dark tunnel, I found my hope, stifling back a few tears as I found my purpose in this new life.  
 _Well, if I can control someone's body, there has to be a way to un-control them, right?  
_ _Maybe I can find a way to get my own self back, no problem!_  
With the fact in mind, I ruffled through some spare clothes, hoping to find something reasonable for the day.

_I got to hurry and meet the others, who knows what we have planned._   
_Of course, it'll be pretty awkward if I act like my usual self..._   
_Oh well, I guess I'll have to learn along the way._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -I know, I'm sure you read it on the summary, but I'm gonna say it again. Wouldn't it be cool if Ephemer's Nobody got an "upgrade" by accidentally possessing Roxas in that data world? And no, he didn't kill the poor kid, he's just taking a little nap...  
> -And of course, this is the kind of possession where he sounds like Roxas but acts differently than normal. And as far as Em knows, he doesn't want the Twilight Trio freaking out about this. Not like DiZ and the others don't notice it though...  
> -Ephemer: "Okay, I have to act normal, don't do any crazy stuff. Just do the things Roxas does all the time, it'll be fine."  
> Me, already writing about Em going absolute ham at the Struggle tournament: "Oh you sweet summer child...You got a really big storm coming."


	2. Awaken the Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FYI  
> There's gonna be a bit more 'voice in my head' banter, so [this] is for Roxas, as shown last chapter and {this} will be for Ephemer. (Em will be around later too, you know, for Sora's heart shenanigans)  
> 

The 4th Day

The town square was buzzing with excitement, cheers echoing all-around at the soon-to-come Struggle tournament. And as it turns out, Roxas and Hayner (the kid in camo) signed up for this event; hoping to win the trophy and gain the champion's title.  
I droned out of most of the referee's banter, my brain still abuzz with my own problems, as I put together the general rules piece by piece.  
 _So it's just like Pride Shift for the locals? Of course, since none of them know about Keyblades, they use foam bats as weapons and plastic balls for points...To be honest, that's pretty innovative._

"Now contestants, take your places!"  
"Come on Roxas, you're up!" Headband kid playfully pushed me towards the stage, all while the referee and Hayner waited patiently by.  
  
 _Now that I think about it, is Roxas the competitive type? Whether or not that's true, if I do anything drastic, that'll definitely raise a few questions...I'll try and play it safe for now._  
With the bat in hand and a friendly pat on the back, the match has begun; Hayner raising his "weapon" in preparation while I crouched down, both hands on the handle like any ordinary Key, ready for the possible beat-down afflicted to me.  
However so, to a miracle of the Light above, the opposite reigned true.

"Begin!" Hayner took the initiative first, his swings slightly unprofessional as I blocked them with ease. Even when I was playing Struggle for the first time, it was surprisingly easy to predict his moves, even if I accidentally swung a bit too hard one-to-many times; earning a mixed gasp of surprise and shock, surely from Roxas' other friends.  
 _Stupid muscle memory..._  
Thankfully so, the round was done in no time at all, leaving the poor teen to lay on the stage in defeat; unconsciously gritting my teeth in the meantime.

_  
Sorry Roxas...That's gotta leave a few bruises for sure._

"And the winner is...Roxas!" The referee shouted, raising my free arm as the crowd roared in exuberance, leaving me tensed up in the middle of it all.  
 _I think I know why we decided on digital copies instead of the real ones..._  
The second the man's grip loosened, I dashed over to Hayner, groaning out in frustration.  
"Man, I lost...I can't believe it!" He banged a loose fist on the platform, either out of the loss or some kind of dramatic theatricals, but I didn't care right now.  
"Come on, it was just the first round. One of us had to win, right?" I held out a helping hand to the despairing teen; "Need some help?"  
"Fine..." With a slight huff, he took the offer with a pinch of salt; "At least you learned from the bes-" Suddenly, he stopped; his eyes widening with an untold surprise of its own.

"...What? Do I have something on my face?" I could only grin slightly, ignoring my heart kicking into overdrive.  
 _Please tell me he doesn't know, please tell me he doesn't know,_ _please tell me he doesn't know,_ _please tell me-_  
Hayner only pouted, seemingly peeved off about something.   
"When did you become the wise guy, huh? Just wait until you kick Setzer's butt." He flashed another grin back, playfully punching my arm; "Don't let me down, you got it? Then we're gonna really celebrate!"  
"Sure thing." 

However, before Hayner could react, Seifer bumped into the kid's shoulder, Struggle bat already in hand.  
"Out of my way."  
"You in a rush to lose?" Hayner cheekily teased, but the older teen didn't bother a glance. Before I realized it, this... _thing_...stood right beside me, looking unusually cute with the blue jacket and strange hat, those Heartless-like eyes radiating a disturbing sense of giddiness.  
 _What-...What is that thing?  
That thing's going to play in the tournament!? _

  
"Come on Roxas, let's go." Hayner casually led me off the stage, ignoring the clamminess in my grip and my gaze lingering on that creature a second more.  
 _I know this might seem weird, but if it's integrated into this world, it has to be nice...right?_  
Unfortunately so, the second the match began, it sprung to action like a sugar-high Powerwild, catching Seifer by surprise in no time.  
"Man, when did Vivi get so tough?"   
"How should I know?" My eyes were practically glued to "Vivi", trying to predict their overreactive moves and debilitating combos.   
_No matter the lack of a strategy, they have the skills...They're almost up to par with the old Ursus wielders; catch the enemy by surprise with sheer strength and manpower, and they got the victory in the bag.  
_ And of course, it was no surprise to see that Vivi won the round in no time at all.  
Now that means it's my turn up there...Oh Kingdom Hearts, have mercy.

"-That's not Vivi," Seifer noted, leaving the arena with the girl and guy from before; "thrash 'im."  
Even if Hayner looked back, more-than confused at the assumption, I unconsciously slipped on a more-than giddy grin.  
 _Finally, someone who's just as tough as me! Now's my time to shine!_  
I ignored Headband's shout as I hurdled up to the stage, taking the bat with a pretty-unusual bounce in my heels. 

"And now, the match we've all been waiting for: Roxas vs. Vivi!"  
 _Fly like a Hook Bat, sting like a Stingin' Bee, I'm gonna show you what it means to mess with me!_  
"Begin!" I leaped into the offensive like a hyped-up Martial Monkey, barely giving Vivi the time to blink as I-  
The world shifted, raising my hairs on end as everyone just... _stopped_ , frozen in time, just like that.   
"Huh? What's going-..." On instinct, I turned to see Vivi right behind me, not taking the time to backstab but _definitely_ not where they were before.

  
And right before my eyes, they vanished in a flash of light and smoke, revealing a silvery humanoid bobbing and swaying to an unknown beat.  
 _So this is one of those 'freaks'?_ _They're creepy, sure...but why does it seem so-_  
Two more of those wiggly-things appeared, effectively surrounding me in a three-against-one brawl. Given the initiative, Starlight easily fell into my grasp, as if I wasn't going down without a fight.  
 _Sure, it's not like the Heartless or those Bugs I fought before, but at least it's something..._

Thankfully enough, a good and heavy swing of my Key sends them flying around the stage, gauging enough distance away from their possibly razor-sharp "hands". Even if they were pretty easy to deal with, I couldn't ignore the adrenaline rushing through my veins. I just wanted _more_...Whatever I can fight, no problem.  
I've been getting a bit rusty, after all...

Then there was a surge, a primal sort of energy bursting through my brain, Lux dancing in my vision as a stream of white and gray thorns erupted on the stage; impaling the creatures of Darkness in two seconds flat, leaving nothing in my path as they vanished in a feathery-light mist.  
Finally, and thankfully enough, I managed to catch my breath, trying to ease the manic pounding in my chest.  
 _Oh my Light...What was that? That was cool and all, but-...Is that supposed to be normal? _  
Unfortunately so, my train of thought stopped at the sound of someone clapping, a mysterious figure in a black coat closing the distance in no time.  
  
  
"There you go, Roxas. Fight fight fight!" The man droned on in an almost-fabricated tone, nearly void of cheer; "Come on, why the long face? You should be thrilled to see me." He lowered his hood in the process, fire-red spikes strewn about as the teardrop markings below his eyes crinkled in a minute grin.  
"And you are...?"  
"Seriously, you don't remember me? You know, Axel? You should've had that memorized." _Well, I knew a lot about you from the Medals, but I never thought you were friends with Roxas..._ "Man oh man, even the Dusks aren't gonna crack this one." 

_Dusks, huh? Pretty interesting name for a bunch of silvery noodles in jumpers, really._  
Predictably enough, his chakrams appeared in a flurry of red-hot flames, ready for another brawl coming my way.  
Fair enough, I've been waiting for a battle royale...So with my Key raised I-  
  
Once again, I didn't feel the familiar flow of magic, neither the Medals coming to my aid. With a quick double-take, I now realized the error of my ways. By some strange and unusual machination of the Light above, my trusty Starlight was replaced with a bland white-and-gold Keyblade, somewhat blocky in shape but in the same figure as the basic Key I was given so long ago.  
"Wha-...What is this?" Against my better judgment, I disarmed myself, only briefly though, now trying to reach deep inside for my true weapon.  
Nothing, not even a spark...I could feel my face go white as a sheet.  
 _How am I supposed to fight now!? Without my Medals, it'll just be a papercut to him...But how-  
  
_

_  
__'_ _What I need you to do is to prepare the other world. I'll be sending all Dandelions there soon. You'll continue living your lives, but without the impending doom.'  
  
_ _'So it's like an alternate reality?'  
  
'Yes. But in order for it to work, the Dandelions will need to forget all about the strife, the war.'  
_

  
  
_An alternate reality...A rewrite, perhaps?  
Is that why I don't have my Keyblade?   
But-...why am I-_

The wind whistled as Axel attempted to attack, stopped almost inches away from my face.  
"Looks like he didn't erase that fight in you." Axel condescendingly smirked, like this was all a joke; "It's not like I have the time to convince you to come back. This is his creation, you know."  
 _"_ What- _...his_ creation?" I gritted my teeth, starting to lose traction, "What are you talking about?"  
  
[...What's going on...?]

"How would you like to know? This entire world's nothing, just a bunch of pixels meant to keep you clueless."  
  
  


_'I thought we were actually in the real Daybreak Town...But it seems that we're in the data world.'  
  
_ _'But Daybreak Town still exists in the real world, right?'  
  
_ _'-Huh? It couldn't have been destroyed, could it?'  
  
_ _'There's no way to confirm it right now, so I can't say...At the very least, I'm sure we were in the real world up until this happened.'  
  
_ _'...Does that mean we can't go back to the real Daybreak Town? Are we going to remain a part of the data forever?'_

  
  
"-You're lying! How am I supposed to believe _that_!?"   
_Am I still in the data world? But I'm sure I got out before, right?  
_ _Then how did I get back? Is this part of the Master's plan or-  
  
_ Another presence made itself known in a flurry of zeros and ones, a mixture of green and white switching over to a man in a red and black cloak, covering all except for a single amber eye.  
The sight stopped my heart, right then and there.

[...Who is that? Who are _you_?]

"So it was you." Axel barked at the man, completely undeterred as the chakrams bounced uselessly off a forcefield.  
"Roxas, this man speaks nonsense!"   
"No I'm not, he's deceiving _you_!"   
  
_I'm still real, right?  
_ _This has to be the real world, right?  
_ _I'm not trapped here against my will, definitely not-_

"Roxas!" The man in red shouted.  
"Roxas!" The Flurry of Dancing Flames shouted back.  
Back and forth, back and forth, echoing on and on in my head just couldn't hide the sound of my blood growing cold.

  
_I'm real,  
I'm real,  
I'm real,  
I'm real,  
I'm real,  
I'm real,  
I'm real,  
I'm real,  
I'm real,  
I'm r-_

"-STOP IT!!!" My voice shook the silence around us, the barrier of thorns trying to hide my tears in vain. "Just stop it, _all_ of this, I just can't take this anymore!"  
 _I'm real, I'm a living breathing person, and I'm not a tool of destiny..._  
"Whatever you're doing to this Roxas kid isn't helping, not at all! What do you think you're doing keeping him cooped up in here, huh!? I'm just _so_ sick of this data world crap right now!"

Of course, the two of them were stunned beyond belief, even the puppeteer of this "world".  
"And _you..._ " I attempted to fill the distance, even when he looked close to running; "I don't know what kind of sick game you're playing here, but I don't care about any of it! And whatever you want to say about _him_ , it's not like I'm gonna listen to Mister Flamesilocks here either."   
_Even if he wants to take us out of this hellhole, I've seen all those Organization Medals...Not like I'm going to fall for their tricks either. _

"I'm a real person, alive and breathing, and I can think all for myself, no strings attached! So whatever you have in mind, change it! I'm not falling for any of this again!"  
"...Again?" Said Axel.  
[Again?] Said the unfortunate soul in ~~my~~ _his_ head, forced to watch on the sidelines.

Even so, I surely lowered my gaze, blocking out the noise as my vision already blurred.  
 _If I can't trust them, I need to figure this out myself...If this is one of the new worlds, then there has to be a real-life version of it somewhere, right?  
_ _And once I figure out a way, then I'll be free from this place._  
[But-...My friends...What about them?] Realizing this one flaw, I could only sigh aloud, finally reclaiming my dwindling confidence.  
"I'm sorry about this...But we'll figure this out, promise."   
_I promise, I'll give you back the life you deserved._

Then...The crowd began to roar.

~~~~

All I wanted was a normal summer vacation. To just hang out with my friends, eat ice-cream, pretzels and watermelon, play on the beach and enjoy the sun, playing Struggle, just anything that makes summer worth it...  
But no. It just seems like I was caught up in something that would forever change my life.

And as my entire body was filled with pins and needles, finally feeling myself breathe after what felt like an eternity; I somehow found myself back in control, back in the Twilight Town I've always known and loved.  
 _But...What about that guy? Ghost? Something in the demonic part of fables and fairytales?  
_ _For an outlandish possession story like this, I don't know where to start..._

"Roxas?" Hayner tried to gain my attention, possibly curious about my missing enthusiasm; "Come on Roxas, you're up!"  
 _Still, for a body-snatching ghost, at least he gave me the chance to go against Setzer...I'll probably thank him when we're done._  
Even so, with a quiet sigh, I took to the stage with the soon-to-be defeated Struggle Champion.

{Good luck, Roxas...} 

~~

The afternoon air was brisk and cool on top of the clocktower, the Four-Crystal Trophy triumphantly in hand with all my friends beside me.   
_Even if I wasn't in a good chunk of the Struggle tournament, it stills feels nice to win..._  
As part of our promise, I plucked the glass balls off their pedestal, tossing them easily to Hayner, Pence, and Olette; yellow, green and blue respectfully, leaving me with a proud shining red.  
  
 _Red?_   
_I usually pick something blue...Oh well, you pick and you choose._

{Still, it's nice...Really suits you, Roxas.}  
"Yeah, a split of the prize." I held the marble to the sunset, shimmering in a small but radiant glow; even when my friends followed suit.  
 _To be honest, it would be nice to know my ghastly body-mate's name right about now..._  
"And now, I've got a present for all of us..." Olette suddenly noted, unearthing a plastic bag filled with sea-salt icecream; "We gotta celebrate, so let's dig in!"  
"Alright!"

In my own excitement, I stood up, feeling the wind whistle across my face as my foot tripped and stumbled, and in an instant...  
My friends' shouts were drowned out by the buffeting breeze, feeling my blood freeze once again as I saw the light...

_Is this it?  
Is this the end?_

With no sign of stopping, not even a saving grace, I was more than ready to accept my painful demise...  
"Who are you?" In the darkness beyond, I heard a girl's voice.  
Someone familiar...  
  
"I'm..."  
  
{-ROXAS!}

There was a light, blinding but warm, time coming to a still as my consciousness finally slipped away.

~~~~

In the world of the sunset's glow, deep in the underbelly of an abandoned mansion, the mysterious man in red mulled over this new discovery with an understandable disdain.   
_Whoever this force appears to be, it seems to recognizes its place in the simulation...Even by a stroke of luck, Roxas will eventually realize the same, if he may come into contact with this phantom of sorts..._  
Solemnly tapping on the keyboard proved nothing to pass the time, even when they were running on loose sands. While his connection to Kairi proved exceptional on their coming goal, another identity needed to be uncovered.

  
Likewise, in a fortress bordering the abysmal Darkness, the red-haired assassin counted the steps toward the meeting room, trying to organize his findings that may define his continued nonexistence.  
 _Whoever I was fighting back there wasn't Roxas...Even with his memories erased, he wouldn't know all those moves back in the Organization. And whoever that was had some pretty bad ties in a digital world like that...Even if I knew its name, I never met anyone like that in my past life..._  
With a discontent sigh, he figured he should leave that knowledge in the dark. Getting Roxas back in the Organization is top priority right now, whether or not he likes it...

~~~~

The 5th Day

I woke up in a cold sweat, back in my room like my life wasn't in danger in the first place.   
"I'm dreaming..." _That had to be the reason, right? I couldn't have just survived, right?_ "But...what part of it was the dream?"  
There was only silence, just me alone with my thoughts and nothing else...That was until I heard a slight sigh. 

{...Roxas? Is something wrong?}  
 _Great, he's still in my head...So I wasn't dreaming... _  
"Funny...I thought you knew already."  
{-Hey, I can't read your mind, you know. I know you're confused about this, but I was worried about you!} Even for a body-snatcher, he sounded surprisingly emotional.  
"Oh really? You possess me, almost beat the tournament without, you know, _me_...and now you're _worried_ about me? You want me alive as your slave or something?"  
  
{Absolutely not! You're being ridiculous right now. It's just-...You remind me of a friend of mine, so I just...you know.}  
The bitterness from before almost vanished, even if an aftertaste remained.  
"Oh...You had a friend? Like-...a real-life person?"  
{ _Obviously_ ,} he sarcastically noted, {you two look practically identical. To be honest, I kind of mistaken you for the kid, but older...You see what I'm getting this from?}  
"But that doesn't give you the right to use me as a puppet." I grumbled aloud, letting my head-phantom pout once again.  
{I know, I know, it was uncalled for...But while I'm here, maybe we should take the time to know each other? So there's no hard feelings later?}  
  
 _Oh great, now you want us to be roommates?  
_ _How could I say no?_  
For now, I hid my sarcasm with an almost disinterested sigh.  
"If that helps me keep my body longer, then _sure,_ I _guess_ it'll help."   
  
{-That's great!} Unfortunately for me, he jumped on the chance way too quickly; {I know this is a pretty awkward start, but nice to meet you! My name's Ephemer!}  
"...Ephemer, huh?"   
{Yep, the one and only! And I am _so_ so sorry for all of this, I just jumped on it when I had the chance. I had no idea it would go this far, honest.}   
"-Hold on, back it up a bit...Did we meet before?"  
  


_To be honest, that weird dream-thing was just so bizarre...apart from every other dream I've been having, though. But there's no way he-_  
{You don't remember? Come on, it was at that glassy heart pedestal thing? I know, it surprised me too back then, you looked so tiny before.}  
The pieces clicked together, finally and painfully enough.

"No way...You were that giant monster?"  
{...Maybe?} Ephemer unfortunately pondered; {It's not like I had to chance to look in a mirror, you know.}  
"That doesn't matter right now, you would've killed me!"  
{Of course not! You were just...sleeping, that's all! And besides, I never would've known about Hayner and your other friends; they would have figured it out no problem.}  
"Hayner... _Pence_ and _Olette_ , got it? It's not like they're going to introduce themselves to a body-snatcher, you know."  
{I'm _not_ a body-snatcher, and I get it, you're upset...But look, if I figure out how to get an empty, free-to-control body for myself, I'll get out of your hair.}  
"That's fine by me..." I unfortunately sighed, even on the prospect of Ephemer jumping ship to another unfortunate soul later on. 

Then I blinked, finally realizing one major flaw.  
"-Crap, I'm late!" I leaped out of bed, scrambling to get my usual clothes on; "My friends are gonna kill me if I don't show up."  
{Oh yeah, it's not like falling from the clocktower didn't kill you the _first time._ } Even with the slight sarcasm, that got my brain reeling.  
 _If I did fall from the tower yesterday, they have to know about it, for sure!  
_ _Besides, there's no way I would have survived that unscathed..._

~~

Unfortunately for the both of us, my friends didn't remember my little "incident" last night; for the most part, they were fretting over a topic for our summer report. I begrudgingly mentioned (or sarcastically from Ephemer's side) that we should write about all the crazy stuff happening to me, but of course, it was denied. However so, with the supernatural hijinks happening around town, me and the gang decided on something we can all work together on: The Seven Wonders of Twilight Town.   
{Now that I think about it, I don't really know that many rumors about my home, especially not seven.} Ephemer chuckled to himself, almost bemusingly; {Maybe when we're done, let's get that blue stuff Olette had before.}

I skidded to a halt, ignoring Hayner trailing towards the train station without me.  
"...You _never_ had sea-salt ice cream?" I barely held back a whisper; "What kind of life did _you_ have!?"  
{Not the one _you're_ familiar with, I'll tell you that.} He held back a snicker, oddly enough; {Seriously, you wouldn't believe the amount of work I had to live with. It was a bit tiring, but I got used to it.}  
"But what about holidays? Or weekends off and breaks from school? You had to have some kind of day off, right?"  
{Of course I celebrated the holidays, I'm not that insane! But it's not the kind of break you're used to...} With an awkward pause, he coughed aloud, {Come on Roxas, we can't leave your friends behind.}  
  
 _Dodging the question, I see...I'll add that to my ever-growing list of unanswerables later._

~~

And as far as the Seven Wonders went, it was a strange and unusual disaster.  
Right off the bat, five out of seven mysteries were debunked, even if my friends only saw the aftermath of it all.  
 _Sure,_ it's not like they're gonna believe balls shooting out of a wall, a shadow version of me dueling at the fountain, wrestling a "dog" in a bag, or even Vivi having a surprise pair of twins in the sewers.  
Maybe my missing crystal was another sign for my monstrous bad luck...

Then there was the fabled Ghost Train.  
And surprise surprise, Ephemer had no idea what a train even was, even if we took a trolley hours before.

{-Of course I know what it is!} He angrily sputtered, at least passing some time as we waited above the tunnel; {I just thought it was underground, or something like that.}  
 _Not even close,_ _buddy..._ For now, I ignored his off-hand embarrassment, lazily swinging my legs about and just waited. All was fine and dandy until Seifer showed up...  
"Good afternoon, slackers. What are you doing out here?"  
"Why do you care?" Hayner was obviously annoyed, but the teen only shrugged.  
"I don't. Just tell me."   
"We're waiting for the ghost train." Pence supplied to him, and even with the curt undertone, Seifer only ignored it.  
"Waiting for the ghost train? Ha! How stupid can you guys get over a rumor like that?"   
"But it _is_ true, so leave us alone!" I was up on my feet in an instant, glaring him down as Seifer's frown deepened.

"Why does looking at you always tick me off?"  
"I dunno, maybe it's destiny."  
"Destiny..." Oddly enough, he sighed with a truly unusual defeat; "In that case, let's be friends."  
  


{...What?} We were both flabbergasted, even as Seifer turned to the sunset.  
"I don't feel like cooperating with destiny."  
"When have you ever cooperated with anything?" He only gave a slight scowl, before thumping his chest and turning towards the plaza.  
{Man...That's _definitely_ something Blaine would say.} I barely held back a gasp from escaping.  
 _Blaine? He has to be a another friend, right?  
_ _And he actually mentioned someone by name...Maybe I could try to find them..._  
Then, to my surprise once more, I heard the sound of a train shaking along the tracks.

"-Look!" I practically threw myself over the fence, watching the cosmos-painted trolley steer into the tunnel below us, not a single conductor reflected in the window; "So it _is_ real...-Come on, there has to be a catch, right?"  
{I suppose there has to be one...A train like that can't move on its own, right?} I disregarded Ephemer's pondering and my friends' jaws hitting the floor as I bounced on the soles of my feet.  
"Come on, let's head to the station!" Before they could get a word out, I barreled towards the platform, my heart already pounding out of my chest.  
  


~

In no time at all, the phantom train was waiting patiently at the station, not a single sound of passengers inside, nothing...  
"Let's check it out." I spoke to no one but myself (if Ephemer even _counts_ as a part of me), getting closer to the train with a rather stupid grin on my face.  
 _This time I'll prove it...Even if it's not related to my own problems, I need to have some kind of proof..._  
I was so close to touching the door, to fling it open and explore its enigmatic depths; when a hand suddenly grabbed mine, holding me back from the call of discovery.  
It was bone-cold, completely drained of warmth and life, sending a terrible shock up my spine as I turned around and-

  
A boy with snow-white hair, sky-blue eyes, and a red scarf stared back at me; a solemn, almost pitiful smile on his lips as the sunset practically bled through his skin.  
I blinked, and Hayner was rushing up the stairs, panting in reasonable exhaustion as Pence and Olette followed closely behind.  
"Seriously Roxas...Don't run off like that..."   
"Sorry...-But, the train..." I looked back, and the starlit trolley was gone, vanished into thin air. "Wha-...But what about that guy? He was right here and-"  
"I didn't see anyone else Roxas, just you." Olette confirmed, worry mingling in her voice; "Are you feeling okay?"  
  
 _But-...I saw it. There was the Ghost Train, right in front of me...  
_ _Was that some kind of illusion?  
Was that just part of the rumor?  
I would have disappeared, just like that...  
_  
My mind was abuzz with question after question, not even noticing Hayner push me into the waiting trolley, the same sunset-gold car we always used.

~~

The haunted mansion.  
The seventh and final rumor, something that almost slipped my mind this entire day.  
And to think that it was just outside of town this whole time...

"We were gonna check out the mansion tomorrow." I nearly jumped out of my skin as Pence appeared behind me, seemingly out of nowhere; "It _is_ the most suspicious place, so we saved the best for last."  
"Right..."   
"They say the place was abandoned for years, but you could see a girl through the second-floor window." I took the time to take in every detail, every crack, broken window, and rotten door; "Seifer and the gang are going to help out, so it'll be over in a snap."  
  
Through the rusted gate, I scanned the upper-floor shutters, watching the curtains flutter in the wind or age, and past a pure-white screen, I saw-

  
There was a light, pure-white and blinding, stopping me short of a migraine as my eyes surely adjusted.  
I was in a completely white room, the simple furniture to the flowers themselves were a bland shade of ivory; the only sign of life were the multitude of colored paper littered around the place.  
After a bit of wandering, looking over some simple but bizarre scenery, I felt myself drawn to a simple crayon-made portrait; a girl with red hair and a star-shaped fruit beside her.

"Roxas?"  
"-Naminé?" I scanned the vacant room, finding not a source to the phantom voice.  
 _But that name...How did I know it...?_  
Shaking the thought away, I turned to another photo pinned to the wall; four people in black coats, one person had spiky red hair, another with blond... 

"Is that...me? And that guy's there too."  
"His name's Axel." Her voice echoed nowhere and everywhere; "And you _were_ best friends, you know."  
"Very funny." I lightly scoffed, wondering how I'm not freaking out about all of this.  
 _Compared to everything happening today, this is nothing..._  
  
"Don't you want to know who you really are?"  
"Why are you asking me that? No one knows _me_ better than me."  
"Of course..." Naminé chuckled in reply, though not as enthusiastic than I believed.  
"But-...I don't understand what's going on. This whole week has been really weird."

{...Roxas, I-}

I guided myself to the other side of the room, past the fluttering silken veil, stopping short of another tacked-up paper.  
"You know these three, do you?"   
"Yeah. Sora, Donald, and Goofy. They're from the dreams..." _In all honesty, I almost_ _know them like my own friends._   
"About a year ago, some things happened...So I had to take apart the memories in Sora's heart and put them back together again. I'm almost done, but-..."

{Roxas, wait a minute...I think-}

"With all the work I've been doing, it's been affecting you too, Roxas."  
"You mean...the dreams?" _That might be it...I couldn't have dreams about someone else's life all the time, right?_  
"Yes...Those dreams are Sora's memories. You and Sora are special, connected even." Feeling another presence, I turned around, that familiar girl in white sitting across the table. "Sora needs you, Roxas, in order to be whole again..."  
  
"What for? Why me?" I asked her, my heart felt strangely heavy.  
Naminé cast her gaze down, somewhat contemplating, leaving only a whisper escape.  
"I'll explain everything I know, for now...Mind sitting down for a moment?"  
I held my tongue, only briefly though, sliding into the seat directly across from her; the swarm of questions buzzing in my mind twofold.

  
"Naminé...Who are you exactly?"  
"I'm a witch, and I have the power over Sora's memories."  
"A witch?" _And what kind of witch controls a person's memory of all things?_  
"That's just what DiZ calls me...Even if I have this power, I don't know how to use it properly. That's why it's taken so long to fix everything."  
"Oh...That sounds pretty tough."  
"Of course, but because of your...dreams, Sora might not be able to recover."  
"Because they're his memories? I get that," _I guess..._ "But what does that have to do with _me_? Or all this crazy stuff too?"

{Roxas...How about I ask?}  
 _Not now, not in a million years, buddy. _  
"It's because of who you are, Roxas. You hold a connection you may not understand, but I do...And I think it's time for you to realize it."  
{Yeah yeah, connections are important. Mind telling me how _I'm_ connected to _him_?} Even with his surprising mood-swing, I could already imagine Ephemer impatiently strumming his fingers on the table _._  
 _Oh well, if she knows so much about me, she might have some tips..._

  
"Um-...Naminé?" Despite the extremely somber undertone, I sheepishly scratched the back of my head; "I know this is important right now, but can I ask you something?"  
"Oh...Sure thing." Even if her cheeks were dusted pink, she thankfully complied.  
"That's good...Okay~, I know this will sound weird, but what if I have another 'connection', hypothetically speaking?"   
The witch tilted her head, only slightly, but the lightbulb thankfully went off.  
"You mean...There's someone else with you?"  
"You know, like a ghost or a demon, or an overdramatic body-snatcher perhaps?"  
{-Out of everything else, you call _me_ overdramatic? Okay, your time's up! Let me say something, now!}

_Well, looks like I pushed the wrong buttons..._  
"Don't worry, I'll give him the chance to talk." With a slight exhale, I already prepared for the worst; "Make sure he doesn't do anything crazy, alright?"  
"I-...I'll do my best."

With those simple words of encouragement, I closed my eyes, feeling the numbness and darkness take over.

~~~~

Even if it was inconvenient to mention it before, I knew something was wrong the moment Roxas stepped into the room. While DiZ was fretting over the circumstances of the Organization and Sora's memories, I knew he didn't have the time nor patience to address the elephant in the room. No matter how Roxas behaved in this fake world, he was aware of something else inside of him, something that should be impossible for a Nobody like him...

"Make sure he doesn't do anything crazy, alright?"  
I assumed it was just like Riku, Darkness leeching off his own anxieties, fears, or even his memories, but none of that happened for so long. Perhaps that's why "he" went under DiZ's nose all this time.  
"I-...I'll do my best." I could only watch silently, anxiously so as Roxas closed his eyes, letting his body went slack, but only for a second; as a new presence took his place.  
  
"Alright, that should do it..." The first thing I noticed was the eyes, a blinding but gentle blue, like the sky at daybreak; "It's nice to meet you Naminé, my name's Ephemer."  
The second thing was his heart, or a close resemblance perhaps, pounding proudly in Roxas' chest; old and timeless, a Light burning bright for hundreds to thousands of years and as strongly as the sun, that same Light taking careful control of the blonde's smile. 

  
"Ephemer..." I repeated the name, strange and foreign; "It's nice to meet you too."  
"No problem! I know this may sound super weird, but I'm not a bad guy, promise. I just got caught in a really sticky situation." He nervously chuckled, scratching the back of his head once more; "But since you know so much about Roxas, think you can help me out here?"  
"That depends...When did this happen?"  
"About three days ago, I guess..." Ephemer pondered aloud; "I don't know why, but I was told to find someone with a Keyblade and take them back to the Organization. But when push comes to shove, everything was pure Darkness around me...Then I saw a pillar of light, and I followed it." 

_A pillar of light...Does he mean a Station of Awakening?  
_ _If that's supposed to be Roxas' then-...  
But that's not right..._ _He shouldn't have a heart, right?_

"And you saw Roxas...right?" I tried to put my words out, silently praying for the best.  
"I guess so...And it was really weird-..." Quietly so, he shook his head; "It's kinda stupid to say it now, but I thought that he was Ven, just for a second. And when I found out that it wasn't him, I just...blacked out for a second. Next thing I know, I'm stuck in this whole mess." There was a laugh, bordering the line of tears, like he was trapped for years instead of days at a time.  
  
 _I can't put this together...What is he supposed to be?  
Is Ephemer like me and Roxas, an abnormality?  
_ _For now, I should focus on the obvious._

  
"Ephemer, you said someone told you to find Roxas...Do you know who exactly?"  
"Not a clue. Up until I found him, it felt like a long and hazy dream...But that's nothing different from now, huh?"  
"I suppose not...So you know this world isn't real?"  
"Pretty much, sorry to rain on your parade. It's _nice_ , I can tell you that, but me and my friends had a pretty bad first-impression about this digital stuff."   
"I see...But this was a precaution DiZ made for Roxas. You gave him quite a scare, that's for sure."   
  
"So _he's_ that guy in red? He should really change his fashion decisions." There was another laugh, holding far more energy and Light; "Seriously, you should've seen the look on his face when I told him off! Ava would have been proud, for sure."  
 _Even in a situation like this, he always finds some way to smile..._  
 _But I want to know...Who are you?_

"Do you think these feelings are yours?" Ephemer stopped his fun short, raising Roxas' brow.  
"Why are you asking me that? Of course they're mine, a hundred percent."  
My fingers lingered on the paper, already filled with color and memory, the one Roxas wished to forget in this fabricated world.  
"Because-..." I stopped, standing up from my seat with confidence intact; "Because...You may not recognize who you are right now."  
  
  


~~~~

  
  
[-Aha! See, I told you I was right! What do you have to say about _that_ , huh?]  
Even with Roxas cheering himself on, I only focused on the knot forming in my chest. 

"Oh...That's what I looked like?" Even if it was hastily drawn, she captured the scale quite nicely; "No wonder everything felt so small."  
Of course, that was pretty laughable for Roxas, but not enough for me.  
 _How did I not realize this sooner?  
_ _Sure, there were a few things that didn't make sense, but this-...How long have I been like this?  
_ _But more importantly..._

"Just-...What _is_ this? How is that supposed to be _me_?" _  
Whatever I am, at least I kept a scarf on...Blue kinda looks nice._  
"It's called a Nobody." Naminé explained, avoiding my gaze; "They can come in different forms and have different powers...But it mostly depends on how strong a person's heart is after they disap-"  
"-But I don't remember any of that, I don't! And how am I supposed to know what these 'Nobody' things are!? I didn't even know they existed in the first place!"  
[Yeah, what the hell!? Don't just throw stuff out like that! My head's hurting like crazy just thinking about it!]  
"Ephemer, I-...I know you're upset, but this is why Roxas needs to go back to Sora."  
"[...Go back?]" We repeated in verbatim, the Darkness of fear already clouding my thoughts.  
Quietly, and surprisingly enough, Naminé put on a brave face.

  
"That's because we're special, we are Nobodies created outside of conventional means. When a human is consumed by Darkness, a Heartless and a Nobody are created from the heart and body respectively. And a Nobody with enough willpower may possess their original appearance and their memories. But-...Roxas and I are not like that. Because of these circumstances, we exist alongside our Somebodies, but we look nothing like them. For this entire year, I asked myself why I was so different, why we don't look as we are meant to be; but now I know why. Because of you Ephemer, you helped me realize the piece we've been missing."  
My head was pounding nonstop, almost threatening me to spill my guts, pass out or both.

"Sora's been asleep all this time, but it's not because of his memories, it's because of something else...It's another heart. Whoever it may belong to, it affected Sora so greatly that he can survive becoming a Heartless, and that his Nobody looks nothing alike...-Ephemer? What's wrong?"  
The world blurred around me, static buzzing around like a hornet's nest, drowning out Roxas' stammering and Naminé pushing a seat before me.  
The pieces fell into place, and the floodgates burst open in an instant.  
"It's Ven..." My fist was at my chest, feeling the anguish inside; "He's been here this whole time...But why-" 

_Why is destiny so cruel?_

"Why am I like this? ...Why won't he recognize me?"  
"I don't know..." Naminé sighed, answering neither or both questions; "But do you realize how important this is? Without Roxas, Sora may never wake up."

[ _Hey,_ um...You know I'm still here, ri-]

"What do you want _me_ to do?" I sighed in return, "If he goes back, what's going to happen to me?"  
"I'm not sure, but if all goes right, you could disconnect from Roxas and he returns to Sora."

[...You want me to give up!? Why would I-]

"Do we really have to do it now?"  
"Don't worry, you'll have time to decide...DiZ may not realize it, but I care about Roxas. He deserved better."

[Then why won't you give me a chance!? I just want to enjoy my summer...My friends...]

"Thank you...for all of this." Finally, thankfully enough, I managed a considerate smile; "I'm sure Ven would love to meet you."  
"I'm sure he will...I hope we meet again..." 

  
The world turned brighter and brighter, even when my closed eyes were to no avail, I finally heard the birds chirping in the trees.  
"Hey, Roxas? Hello~, earth to Roxas?" I blinked, and turned to Pence beside me.  
"Sorry...I spaced out a bit."  
"Come on, I know you're excited. The summer festival _and_ the mansion hunt? We're gonna end summer with a bang!"   
I could only smile and nod, trying not to break as a familiar voice was already crying.

[Why-...What did I do...to deserve this?]  
"...I'm sorry, Roxas." I whispered to no one but myself, holding on all the way back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Of course, after years upon years of battling Heartless, the kid would have little to no self-control on how hard he's supposed to hit a person. Even with a foam bat, it has to leave a couple of marks when Em gets a hold of one.  
> -Ephemer, meets Vivi for the first time: "Heartless? But-...not bad? Actually nice?? Do I hurt or do I hug?"  
> Also Ephemer: "Yes! Someone who's on my power level! Time for a beatdown!!"  
> -You know how the saying goes, 'the eyes are the windows to the soul'? Yeah...It's not like the guys are _not_ going to notice Roxas' eyes looking a lot lighter, huh?  
> -Just some obligatory Twilight Thorn moves (you know...the thorns) and Em obviously too hyped-up to care. As long as the Dusks are dead, that's fine by me!  
> -Since Axel oh-so-casually drops the bomb on Ephemer/Roxas that he's in the digital Twilight Town, even adding DiZ digi-appearing as well, Em doesn't take that piece of knowledge lightly...  
> (It's a mental breakdown...*offbeat kazoo in the distance*)  
> -But~, even with the overload of panic attacks and off-hand confusion, Roxas starts to wake up...yay?  
> -Roxas gets the red crystal instead of the blue one (Unicornis vibes, you know?), and Em silently cries inside on how much he misses his friends.  
> -Naminé, the only voice of reason to the Save Sora trio and finally allows Em to get that gritty stuff off his chest for once (ie, everything in the data world and some other stuff 😉). And with the promise of escaping this digital hellhole, he (forces) allows Roxas to join with Sora to wake him up, win-win!  
> (Sorry if the end is a bit wishy-washy, I just went "screw it, how about some mild memory-loss and death-denial?". And I'm sure he wouldn't know the Organization members too much because...you know.)
> 
> But wait, there's more! In the next chapter of course. ;)  
>  **Bonus: Can you guess who gave Em the order to find Roxas? You'll find out eventually!**  
> 


	3. The final Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy oh boy, time for Roxas to angrily sacrifice himself to his Somebody.  
> Won't that be fun?  
> Also, Sora's year-long nap ends and a new adventure begins!

It was a hero's sacrifice, we both knew it would come eventually.  
With one simple decision, they give up their own life to benefit another, eventually leading the rightful seeker of justice to save the Worlds that remain in peril. It pained me to reminisce of the times before, before the War and before the Foretellers sacrificed themselves for the future beyond.   
I knew that we needed to act on our part, no matter how much time we had left...Of course, Roxas didn't like how I made such an important choice for him.

"Dammit Ephemer, why did you do that!?" The blonde was angrily pacing his room, easily grumbling aloud; "Why are you making my life harder than it is now!?"  
{I know, you're mad at me...but we don't have too much of a choice right now. Naminé said it herself; they're running out of time, so we need to consider our choices...You're gonna have to go back-}  
"-But it's not fair!" He slammed a fist to the wall, feeling my heart jump in fright; "What gives that guy the right to control my life!? I still have two more days...he should know that, right? I just want to enjoy them with my friends..." 

_  
But you can't rush destiny, it will come to you eventually...  
_  
I put those words of "encouragement" aside, just letting Roxas burn out his frustrations.  
{I want to enjoy them too.} Roxas gasped in a slight surprise; {I never had the chance to have summer vacation, you know?}  
"Yeah, I'm sure I got the hint." He wiped a stray tear away, "You and that Sora kid had it rough, huh?"  
{You have no idea. But I was glad I had friends to back me up...You should remember the ones you have now.}  
  
_Sora, Donald, and Goofy...Ephemer and Ven...They care for each other, no matter what happens to them.  
Maybe I need to take the time to care about my friends._  
  
"Yeah, you're right...Thanks for that, Ephemer."  
{You're welcome. And you can call me Em, by the way; it's a lot easier than Ephemer, huh?}  
"I guess so...Starting tomorrow, I'll tell them everything, no matter if they believe me or not."  
{Sounds like a plan. See you tomorrow, Roxas.} 

~~

The 6th Day

  
I rushed over to the hideout like my life depended on it. My heart was pounding from the possibilities swarming in my head, both of confoundment and absurdity. Of course, I'm coming clean of everything controlling my life, metaphysical and literal, so my friends could look at me like I grew a second head.  
  
Hayner would tell me I'm crazy, of course.  
Olette would be mildly concerned, but try to support me.  
Pence would go full-on conspiracy theory, trying to narrow down the possibilities to the finest detail imaginable.  
Nevertheless, I knew my friends like the back of my hand. No matter what Naminé said, a Nobody should exist if they're around other people, right? As long as they have a purpose in the world, then there's nothing to worry about.  
With Em silently cheering me on in the background, I finally reached our little sanctuary, gasping for breath after my short marathon. 

"Hey guys, you're never gonna believe this...It's super important, I promise." Oddly enough, my friends didn't bother, keeping up some kind of conversation in the background. "Um...guys?"  
Even if I was so close, I could barely hear them, like they were talking underwater.   
{Something's not right...}  
"Yeah, _clearly_." I took a step forward, reaching a hand out; "Hey Hayner, what are you-"  
He turned around, sparking some kind of hope in me before it was abruptly extinguished in an instant. Where skin and clothes should meet was instead air, my heart turning to stone as my friends phased through me like nothing.   
  


"{...What!?}"  
I noticed a familiar photo laying on the pipe, the same one that started my strange and unusual summer.  
Taken right outside the old mansion was Hayner, Pence, Olette, and-  
Nothing...Not a single trace of me...  
"No...nonononono, this can't be happening, not now! They said I had more time!" Em didn't say anything back, just taking my chance to find my friends outside. "Hayner, Pence, Olette! Where are you!?" Nothing, not even a sound...It felt as if the entire town was put on mute.  
But then, as if on cue, a trio of wiggly-people surrounded me, letting another familiar voice speak up from behind.

"Look here Roxas, or _whoever_ you are in there...I got a little proposition for you." The Organization red-head tried to act tough, though the nervous grin gave it away; "I got the icky orders to destroy you if you don't follow along. I'm sure you don't want _that_ , huh? Come on, you get to go scot-free from this place! What do ya say?"   
_Okay, he seems way too desperate about this...Doesn't he know the difference between me and Em by now?_  
  
  


_'Up until I found him, it felt like a long and hazy dream...But that's nothing different from now, huh?'_  
  
_'I suppose not...So you know this world isn't real?'_  
  
_'Pretty much, sorry to rain on your parade. It's nice, I can tell you that, but me and my friends had a pretty bad first-impression about this digital stuff.' _

_I'm not judging him for his worries, but what's so bad about this "digital stuff"?  
_ _Sure, if this place_ _wasn't real, why didn't I realize it before?  
_ _When did the real world end and this data one begin?_

Finally, and thankfully enough, I cracked the fakest grin I could ever muster, just praying to get out of this unscathed.  
"You serious about this? I thought we were best friends, Axel."  
_Please let this work, please let this work, please let this-_  
"Yeah sure...But I'm not turning into a Dusk for th-" And just like that, his eyes went wide, a look of relief washing over him. "Hold on, you remember!?"  
{Oh my Light, that actually worked...}  
"-Yeah, of course!" I stammered, hopelessly so; "I was just playing with you, that's all!"  
"You sure did, Roxas..." He laughed, wiping the fake tears on his face; "Man, if I had a heart, it would've stopped right then and there."

_If he had a heart? Didn't Naminé say something about that?  
Then why- _

  
"Okay, but you're not in the clear yet. I need to make sure you're _really_ in there...-Quick, what's our boss's name?"  
{Aw man, and I thought we were doing so good...} I held myself back to not glare at the "helpful" phantom whining over my shoulder, especially since the man's chakrams were summoned in an instant.  
"And here I thought we were gonna go the easy way...You're going to regret this, _traitor_." I raised my arms up, trying to cover them in vain against the spinning wheels of flaming metal just about to hit my face.  
There was a pause, five seconds, ten...I opened my eyes, and Axel was frozen in time, just stuck in place mid-swing.

{Well...Isn't _that_ convenient.} 

"-Roxas, to the mansion! The time has come!"  
Me and Em practically leaped in surprise as a man's voice echoed through the heavens, like an extremely impatient god seconds away from delivering his divine punishment.  
  
{But _that_ isn't.} Ephemer sighed aloud, metaphorically pinching the bridge of his nose; {I'm gonna cave that dude's face in the second we see him, just you wait...}  
Against our better judgment, or me just wanting to blow some steam on this jerk, I began my trek to the abandoned mansion.

~~

All I wanted was a normal summer vacation.  
To just hang out with my friends, eat ice-cream, pretzels and watermelon, play on the beach and enjoy the sun, playing Struggle, uncover the mysteries of the ghastly abandoned mansion, just anything that makes summer worth it.  
But no...It turns out I have to fulfill the role of a sacrificial lamb.

No matter what Em and Naminé say, I didn't feel like the valiant hero I'm supposed to be, just walking a thousand awkward miles in another kid's shoes, a "savior of the world" and then some. And because of him, I was wrapped around the finger of some digital overlord, absolutely hell-bent on me just giving my life away like free candy.  
And now that I think about it, as I was scouring the mansion from top to bottom for any sign of Naminé, the thought of Ephemer _agreeing_ to this scares me even more. 

_What's going to happen to him when I'm gone?_  
_Does he seriously believe that he's gonna "disconnect" from me, just like that?  
What if he dies with me? Would it be quick and painless or slow and painful?  
I know this is something of a life-or-death situation, but I just need to know something about this, right!?_

  
{Are you sure about this?} Ephemer hesitantly noted, staring down the dark underbelly of the mansion, the metal passageway glowing ominously into the unknown.  
"I'm sure. It's not like I have too much of a choice."  
_If my friends even remembered me, I'm sure they'll know where to find me..._

A flood of monitors filled the room with an eerie blue glow, the light dancing off the claw-like contraption built into the ceiling next to the screens.   
_Why does this feel...familiar?_  
As fate would have it, a debilitating headache nailed me in my skull, the high-pitched ringing in my brain drowning everything else in my mind.

_'Will it work, DiZ?'_  
  
_'If we can maintain the simulated town until Naminé finishes chaining together Sora's memories, then yes, it will work.'_  
  
_'...What will happen to Roxas?'_  
  
_'Roxas holds half of Sora's power, in the end, he will have to give it back. Until then, he needs another personality to throw off his pursuers.'_  
  
_'...He's a poor thing, isn't he?'_  
  
_'It is only the fate of a Nobody. No matter how 'pathetic' he may be, they are all bound to disappear someday.'_

{Roxas...are you okay?} His voice barely cut through the buzzing in my ear, drowned out by my Keyblade placed firmly in my grip. Without a second thought, I swung at the monitor, just watching the sparks fly as shattered glass and broken metal flew about the room, growing noticeably dimmer as my rage died down just as easily.  
  
_What's the point...Why would he make me live a lie?  
__If he wanted me to disappear that badly, why would he make me forget?_  
Silence was my only answer, my mind going numb as I looked towards the other door.  
_Which is the lie, and which is the truth?  
__Whatever the answer may be, none of it matters anymore, right?_

  
_~_

It wasn't even a noticeable battle, just taking down the gang of Dusks sent upon me, disappearing in that same shade of mist.   
_They were just spineless servants, simple tools meant to be thrown away...How pathetic, right?_

"Amazing as always, _Roxas._ " Even with his indifference, he stressed my name with a tang of annoyance; "That's just what made you a team player, huh? The Organization couldn't live without you, that's for sure."  
"Axel, that isn't working anymore. I'm not going back..." _Not anymore..._ I bit my tongue back, but the redhead still feigned his surprise.  
"So you _do_ remember me this time? I'm _so_ _FLATTERED!_ " In an instant, the room erupted into flames, consuming the chamber in its inferno; "But you're too late Roxas, _no one_ gets second chances! Not anymore!"  
_It's not like I had a second chance in the first place..._

My Keys fell into my palms, the weight feeling far too comforting at a time like this.  
_Light and Darkness, Darkness and Light...No matter what happens, I pick my own destiny._

"-Two of them!?" Axel barely hid his shock, his chakrams coming into play seconds before I attacked, knocking me back from the blow. "You _never_ cease to impress me, huh?"  
"It's over!" With adrenaline pumping through my veins, I charged into the battle once more. 

{Good luck, Roxas...} I could barely hear his voice, but I could still feel the regret lingering within.

~

The battle was over before the last few embers burned out, flooded with the smell of smoke and dried sweat.   
"So you've gotten stronger..." His breath was hoarse and defeated, even if he managed a desperate smile; "Such a friend I've been, huh?"

_Friends, best friends even...Me and Axel and-  
_I barely hid a flinch as another untold memory jabbed into my mind.  
_  
All of this...Was this worth our suffering, all this pain?  
__Whether or not if we were in the Organization, we would still be Nobodies in their eyes._  
_If only we could start over..._

"Axel...I'm still your friend, alright? But let's meet again, in the next life..."   
_I'm me, nobody else...  
If anyone says otherwise, they're going to have to pry it from my cold dead hands. _  
Unfortunately so, Axel only laughed, dry and filled with regret.  
"The next life, huh? Just because _you_ have a next life-..." There was nothing else to say, just watching my one true friend vanish into oblivion, leaving nothing behind but ash and dust.

_I'm sorry..._

  
I could only sigh to myself, already witnessing DiZ's words come true.  
_Nobodies are fated to disappear...Forgotten by the world, forgotten by all..._

The door creaked open, shrill and echoing through the near-vacant hallway; housing a single row of giant flower-bud structures, their warmth still lingering inside as I ran my fingers on the smooth glass.   
_It feels like they were used recently...But why? What are they supposed to be for?_  
And as Ephemer remained silent, I now noticed two familiar figures.

"-Donald!? ...Goofy?" They were silent, predictably enough, held in some kind of stasis in this milky-white containment. "But-...What about the others?"  
_If Sora was supposed to be in one of these, then why was more than three used at a time?  
What if, pray tell, there were people here before? Besides DiZ, Riku, and Naminé perhaps? _  
{I don't know...} A shiver easily crawled up my spine, but I didn't know if it was the silence before or the bitter defeat in his voice that set me off. {He's close, I can sense him.}  
_DiZ or Sora?_ I held back my tongue, just heading towards the final door without a thought.

_No matter who it is, it'll all end the same way._

  
My final destination showed itself, and I was blinded by this heavenly light. I covered my eyes, of course, seconds to minutes to hours in the dark felt more like a nuisance at this point. Thankfully though, I was quick to adjust, stepping into a wide and circular chamber that was structurally impossible for an old and withered mansion. The thrum of energy and my solemn footsteps was the only thing I could hear, my only goal being a giant flower capsule in the middle of it all, its metal-like folds hiding whoever was trapped inside.  
Right before me was that familiar man in red, his condescending grin making my blood pressure spike.

"At last, the Keyblade's-" I barely gave him the time to talk, Oathkeeper and Oblivion already in my hands as I charged, hoping to fulfill either one of Ephemer's dreams. I was inches away from his face and-   
My Keys didn't connect, my head already buzzing with rage as my shoulder hit the metal behind me.   
"My my, aren't you a bitter one?" DiZ was absolutely unfazed by my attack, his grin widening even more; "I'm sure Sora would find your anger useful, he's much too kind for his own good."  
"Sora this, Sora that, _Sora Sora Sora,_ is that all you care about!? If I'm half of him, why don't _I_ get a chance, huh!?"

"And you _have_ received it, haven't you? You've adjusted to it quite nicely, and it surprised me as well, in my opinion." Even with this empty praise, he narrowed his eye in annoyance; "Though there has been one certain hiccup...Ephemer, wasn't it? What do you hope to achieve in acting so irrational?"  
"Well _sorry_ to rain on your parade, but the feeling's mutual." I irritably snapped back, my Keyblades still held tight; _"We_ want our own life, and _I_ want nothing to do with Sora! If you want Sora's memories, I could just give them back, no questions asked! But I want you to understand one thing here...Just. let. me. be. _myself_."

_I'm me, nobody else.  
_ _I have my own thoughts, my own dreams, my own memories and feelings.  
_ _I'm not a tool of destiny, a useless pawn, a piece of garbage meant to be thrown away.  
_ _I'm following my own destiny, no matter what it takes._

  
Then, DiZ began to laugh.  
"-What's so funny!?"  
"Oh Roxas...It's because you're a Nobody. For an empty husk like yourself, you cling to the life you desire. Perhaps I made the simulation far too convincing..."  
_"Oh,_ you really think that's funny? Well I'm not laughing!" The world was turning red, my blade held high as I went for the finishing blow-  
I slid right past him, or right _through_ him actually, as I can already hear him smirk aloud.  
"I'm sorry, but you _do_ know what a simulation is, right?"

I didn't want to know anymore, and I didn't want to care anymore; feeling my mind buzzing and screeching, whirling and stalling, static just buzzing on and on and on and on, all but drowning out my rage-fueled scream.  
Hacking and slashing, Light and Dark, ones and zeroes, zeroes and ones...The whites and grays blurred and swirled in my eyes as they stung with overdue tears.  
"-Dammit!" The crashing of metal came and went, my limbs turning worn and numb as I met the floor; _"Why!?_ I just want to live...Just give me a chance!"

  
_But what kind of chance am I going to have?  
Everything I ever knew was gone and thrown away, forget and forgotten...  
  
What if, pray tell, I get the second chance I deserved, right here and now?  
  
I have nothing else to get, and I have nothing else to lose...  
Between then and now, what would be a greater punishment?_

In my hazy and defeated mind, I could barely hear the hiss of steam, the whirring of machinery unfurling the flower's petals in response. At the foot of this ivory altar, I finally saw the messiah; a picture-perfect visage of my dreams floating in spaceless mist, sleeping without a single care.   
I wanted to laugh, but no sound came out. 

_So this is the Hero of Light?  
_ _The one who saved the Worlds in one fell swoop?  
_ _He looks way too kind, way too selfish...How did I ever become half of him?_

There was a tug, a magnetic pull perhaps, my chest lurching with want as I sighed in defeat.  
_If he's as kind as they say he is, would he have the chance to forgive me?  
Would he forgive a poor and pathetic Nobody like me?  
Maybe he will, maybe he won't...But I'm sure time will tell..._

I took a single step, one of many that marked my ill-fated destiny, when I felt a hand clasp my shoulder.  
It was cold, kind and caring and considerate.  
{Are we going to meet again?}  
Oh...I almost forgot.

"Yeah...I'm sure we will." I didn't turn back, my only sign of weakness, of lingering regrets; "After all, we're friends, right?"  
{Yeah...Of course we are.}   
_Friends...The ones I can eat ice cream with, watch the sunset and laugh about all our troubles and care.  
__No matter who I may be, that's the only thing he'll never take away..._  
_And who knows...Maybe my next life might not be too bad.  
I could have a longer summer, an endless one perhaps..._

  
One step after another, we climbed into the chamber, the light of our lives slowly being shut away.  
For now, I could only smile, a single goodbye to the life I once known and loved.

"Looks like my summer vacation is over..."

~~~

Falling, falling, falling...

  
The Darkness was the only thing around me, nothing to see or feel, nothing else to stop my descent in the unknown.  
Looking back to it all, I would have laughed at this cruel destiny. 

After everything we have done to protect the Light, everything that defined me was swept away by the winds of time; my thoughts, my dreams, my memories, my identity, everything...I could only wander the Darkness of life, wandering past the loneliness that plagued my soul for years and years.  
  
And if _she_ didn't come into this new life, I never would have remembered my own name.   
Drifting, fleeting, an ephemeral dream, a wandering memory.  
Floating through the heavens like the seeds of a dandelion.  
Disregarded, tossed aside, abandoned, forgotten...  
  
I felt the gravity shift, gracefully landing me on my feet like a cat's, leaving the quiet void as my only scenery.  
_I can feel a heart, proudly pounding..._

I took a wary step forward, and the floor erupted with color, bright and burning and so full of Light. I unconsciously shielded my eyes, months to years to decades stuck in the dark felt more than a thorn at my side at this moment.  
But when I finally opened them, I just knew.  
The story of his life was built with sunny skies and endless oceans, adventure and fun and so much Light served as a beacon to lost souls and broken worlds.

  
The fabled Hero of Light, the one who saved so many worlds and so many hearts.  
The one connection between the past I thought was lost and my future beyond these destined chains.

Here I was, alone once again, just waiting for fate to come my way...

"Sora...Where are you?" 

~~~

As the shooting star vanished into the ocean, the boy was carefully washed up on the shore, a peaceful look on the blonde's face as the summer sun shone brightly above. The witness to the scene, a girl with choppy black hair and an equally-voided coat, helpfully hooked her arms under his own, dragging him farther from the tide and to the cool shade of the palm trees.

"You finally came." She whispered to herself, or to the boy as well, as a caring smile dusted her lips.  
_"So that's Roxas?"_ Another teen asked, a boy who looked nearly identical to the blonde resting on the girl's lap; _"At least you were right about one thing...We could pass off as twins, no problem."_  
"But you know he's not going to be happy about it, right? You should wait before you drop that bombshell on him...He's been through a lot."

_It's hard to know who you used to be. But with that pain, I grew stronger...Everything that defined me in the Organization, just being with you and Axel, that's who I am.  
_ _I'm me, nobody else..._

  
_"Yeah, I guess so..."_ The lookalike scratched his head sheepishly, sitting beside her as he turned towards the ocean waves; _"But I'm sure he'll like this place. It's peaceful."_  
The girl only nodded, keeping her sights stuck to Roxas. 

He awoke, a slightly dazed look staring at nothing or anything, to the palm leaves swaying in the breeze or to the girl somberly smiling down at him.

"...Who are you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you know? A mystery character, and a girl too?  
> I wonder who it could be...?


	4. Another "heart", alive and well

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Memory-jumbling, world-hopping, Heartless-bashing, heart-invading adventure; just exactly what Sora needs after a year-long coma, huh?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, Sora would be so close to going mental if a mysterious voice appears in your head with absolutely no warning. That or Roxas getting slightly pissed off realizing that Em _still didn't leave_ , but whatever. It's your pick.
> 
> Notes as always:  
> -I've had this little idea of Ephemer trying to copy Twilight Thorn's costume design (white Organization coat, gray-white gloves, and blue scarf) since he realized what he looked like in Nobody form. Still, I think it's fun and kinda cute. I would love to draw it if I had the artistic talent. 😅  
> -In this case, Ephemer now qualifies as an abnormality. Possessing a Higher Nobody like Roxas caused his Lesser Nobody form to undergo a pseudo-human body to accommodate. Why else would a hulking behemoth like Twilight Thorn fit inside such a tiny little human being? (Beside breaking a bunch of bones, that's for sure...)  
> -So...Not a lot changes except for Sora taking another interloper into account, and of course, helping said interloper on getting a proper body (if he even knows how to get one...)  
> Sidenote: The spacey lines in this chapter is just the Lesser Nobody's way of "talking", since it's never really explained in-depth. I'm also using it for T.T. Em since he works the same way, in my opinion.

The moment I woke up, blinded by a pure-white room, I knew that something wasn't right.

Of course, with me and my friends waking up in a strange room with no memory of it, and pages of our adventure vanished into thin air, all except one little sentence; _Thank Naminé_...whoever this girl was supposed to be, we had no idea.  
Once we were out of the dilapidated mansion, trekking through mountainous oak trees, we found ourselves in a town consumed by the sunset's glow.

_It's beautiful..._  
The sight almost took my breath away, even if my heart ached with a pinprick of deja vu; though it was small enough to brush off, thankfully enough.  
Besides, I've been to _dozens_ of worlds, they're all great in their own way!   
Exploring the little nooks and crannies was interesting to say the least, meeting some new people, making some new friends, all of that...  
But why did it feel like I knew them by name? It felt like they were on the tip of my tongue...

"Gawrsh Sora, what's got you so down?" Goofy carefully noted, heading towards the station for more clues about the King's whereabouts.  
"I don't know...It feels like I know this place, but we've never been here before."  
"Well, it's awfully friendly here. Maybe it reminds you of our whole adventure."  
"Maybe..." I hummed to myself, trying to get rid of this unease stuck in my chest; "What about-"

Suddenly, the air quivered all around us, surrounding us on all sides with a group of wobbling silver jumpsuits; a skin-tight enigma with surely malicious intent and an emotionless smile plastered inside the hood. For a second, I tilted my head to the side, trying to catch the strangely similar emblem on their head, a upside-down Heartless symbol perhaps...  
 _But why...Why does it feel like-_

  
_＇Ｗｅ ｈａｖｅ ｃｏｍｅ ｆｏｒ ｙｏｕ， ｍｙ ｌｉｅｇｅ．．．＇_

  
A shiver crawled up my spine, just hearing that phantasmal whisper echo in my head, and I highly doubted that Donald and Goofy heard it either...  
Then, there was another voice, stronger, far more angrier and practically inches away from my ear.  
  


_{Ｌｅａｖｅ ｕｓ ａｌｏｎｅ， ｎｏｗ！}_

  
I recoiled in an instant, trying to stop the horrendous ringing for a solid minute straight. Even if Goofy had a hand on my back, trying to calm me down, it just felt so abnormal.  
Finally, thankfully enough, I noticed that the plaza was empty, as if those silvery noodle-people didn't exist in the first place.  
 _But-...What in the world was that!?   
__That shouldn't be normal, right? I mean-...Apart from every other world, this never happened._  
  
"Sora..." The royal guard hesitated, possibly feeling me shaking; "Is something wrong?"  
"No, I'm fine...Just a headache, that's all."  
  
  


~~

  
  
As we kept climbing up this labyrinth of a fortress, battling the Heartless that laid siege in the halls, I felt my mind wandering in the in-between.  
I didn't notice the munny pouch until I needed it, like an old friend patiently waiting to be noticed, acknowledged at the best of times and nothing more. Of course, I noticed the red ball of glass mingling with the familiar diamonds, practically begging for attention as it gleamed in the station's sunset glow.  
And as Hayner, Pence, and Olette said their goodbyes, hoping to see us again, I felt my chest tighten like a spring. Sadness and resignation; something I would only feel if I knew someone for years, reserved for the times I could only hope to see them return.   
And as the train littered with stars and cosmos rattled along the track, towards some unknown destination, I finally felt something trail my cheek.

The tears were freshly running and the words 'I'm sorry' were dancing on my lips all the way to the tower.

"Sora, show some respect!" I snapped back to reality at Donald's persistent squawking, letting my back go taut out of fear and consideration. The wizard, Master Yen Sid, stroked his beard in thought before he addressed the three of us.  
"Sora, Donald, Goofy...I have been expecting you. Have you had any sign of the King yet?"  
"Not exactly, Master." Goofy cautiously noted; "But we have heard about 'im at Twilight Town."   
"I see...The King has been busy as of late. Therefore, it would seem that the task of instructing you three falls upon my shoulders. You have a perilous journey ahead of you, so you must be well prepared."   
"So we have to go on another quest?" I sighed to myself, hoping not to be too disrespectful; "I just want to find Riku and get back to the islands."

_Riku and the King have to be safe somewhere, but I just need a break from all this running around..._

"Yes, I agree...But you need to understand that everything in your journey is connected. Whether you will find your way back to the islands, whether you will return alone or with your friend, and whether or not the islands will still be there...The key that connects them all is you, Sora."  
"I'm the key...?" As if it was my cue, I let Kingdom Key fall into my hand.  
"Chosen wielder of the Keyblade, you are the key that will open the door to Light!" After that little declaration, he waved his hand, letting a book appear out of thin air; "Now then, this book contains valuable knowledge you will need for your journey; study it carefully. Once you have finished, we will speak of the enemies you will surely confront."

_Really? I have to read in order to start my adventure?  
Talk about a buzzkill...  
_Of course, I was forced to comply, leaning over the tome so Yen Sid doesn't notice my apprehension.   
_The Beginning...I guess I'll start from there. But I'm not sure how much I have to read, though..._  
So as the book commanded me to do, I started at the beginning of it all.  
  
  


_Each journey gives rise to chance encounters, and each encounter brings forth a farewell. When a farewell leads to a journey, the worlds open their hearts.  
_ _There are those chosen by the light and those ensnared by darkness. Friends who share the same bonds, though their paths may differ.  
_ _When you doubt the path trod thus far, when the hand you held is lost to you, gaze anew at the heart that once was...For all the answers are within._

Predictably enough, the gears were grinding in my brain as it tried to take in this mystical mumbo-jumbo.  
 _Light and Darkness, and the journey bringing encounters...It just sounds like my first adventure to find Riku and Kairi._  
Even with a confused hum, Yen Sid didn't make any note of it. So I turned the page and continued to read.

_A long dream._  
 _A sad farewell, hanging in the air in that "world between"._  
 _What is reality?_ _What is illusion?_  
 _The path chosen by the young boy leads to his memories.  
_ _When caught in the stream of the days and nights going past, gaze anew at your steps...For there all confusion will end._

  
  
Ironically enough, my confusion only grew in heaps, my brow scrunched up and lips pursed. And as I hm'd and hawed to myself, I could have sworn I heard it echo in my mind.  
 _Maybe this is when we were asleep...But what's with the questions between real-life and fake? I could tell between the two, no problem!_  
One more page, hopefully enough, just to get rid of this fumbling fable for later.

  
  
_Will the day come when this battle, born of confusion, will end?_  
 _It is different things to different people.  
_ _Can the reality be that which is hidden? Still, memories can be believed._

_Be not afraid.  
_ _Entrust your body to the soothing waves of your memories. By and by, your fleeting rest will be over...And everything will begin._

_{Ｔｈｅ ｂａｔｔｌｅ．．．Ｄｏｅｓ ｉｔ ｍｅａｎ ａｇａｉｎｓｔ Ｌｉｇｈｔ ａｎｄ Ｄａｒｋｎｅｓｓ？_   
_Ｔｈｅｒｅ ｓｈｏｕｌｄ ｂｅ ｍｏｒｅ， Ｉ ｋｎｏｗ ｉｔ．．．}_

Just for a second, I was almost going to turn the page, already invested in solving the mystery, before the book vanished in another puff of smoke.   
I flinched back, both out of shock and surprise but also horror.  
 _There was that voice again! Whatever it is, there's something in my head, I know it!_  
"...But Master, how come the Heartless are still running around?" Somehow, surprisingly enough, I managed to keep a straight face on.  
"Your past endeavors did an immense effusion of Heartless from the great Darkness; make no mistake about that. However, the Heartless are Darkness made real, as such, Darkness still lingers in every heart. The Heartless are fewer, but as long as darkness exists in a single heart, it will be difficult to eliminate them."  
Unfortunately for us, we all sighed in defeat.  
 _So that's it then, huh? We're gonna have to check on every other world, right?_

_{Ｂｕｔ ｔｈａｔ＇ｓ ｎｏｔ ｒｉｇｈｔ...Ｔｈａｔ＇ｓ ｊｕｓｔ ｌｉｋｅ ｔｒｙｉｎｇ ｔｏ ｇｅｔ ｒｉｄ ｏｆ ｔｈｅ ｓｕｎ， ｏｒ ｔｈｅ ｍｏｏｎ ｏｒ ｓｔａｒｓ．  
Ｉｆ ｗｅ ｎｅｅｄ ｔｈｅ Ｌｉｇｈｔ ｔｏ ｅｎｊｏｙ ｔｈｅ ｍｏｒｎｉｎｇ，ｔｈｅｒｅ ｓｈｏｕｌｄ ａｌｓｏ ｂｅ Ｄａｒｋｎｅｓｓ ｔｏ ｓｅｅ ｔｈｅ ｎｉｇｈｔ ｓｋｙ．}_

Even if I wanted to scream, to tell this mind-reader to just leave my head alone, he _was_ right...While Darkness was bad in the wrong hands, there's no reason to get rid of it entirely. It would be horrible to never see the night sky, or watch meteor showers or get an actual good-night sleep in my life.   
_And for a guy like him, he seems to know nothing about personal space...  
_"Now then, it is time to speak of your new adversaries."   
_Finally..._  
The wizard only nodded, letting a life-sized projection of a Shadow and a wiggly jumpsuit come into play.

  
"You know what happens to a person should they be consumed by Darkness, correct? There is, however, more to that phenomena then we believed...When a person with a strong heart and will, be it good or evil, become a Heartless; there is another being created from the empty shell they leave behind." The Heartless projection dimmed and vanished away, leaving this "shell" behind; "An empty vessel whose heart was stolen away; a spirit that goes on even after the body vanished from existence. For you can see as clear as day, Nobodies do not truly exist at all."

Oddly enough, a spike of anger shot through my chest, causing my ears to ring.

"Nobodies may seem to display feelings, but it is only a ruse. After all, how could a being without a heart understand true emotion? But while they may pretend to have emotions, you should not let your guard down."

I could barely hear Yen Sid at this point, my head pounding in tandem to his words.

"The Nobody you see before you are known as a Dusk, they are the most common form of Nobodies you will encounter. There are others, however, some larger with more frightening and unique powers than the last. Be sure to remain vigilant at all costs."

I saw Donald and Goofy nod in reply, but if I did that, I'm sure my head would fall off.

"While you may believe the Nobodies and Heartless to be similar, albeit more cunning and deceptive, now is where the similarities end." With another wave of the wizard's hand, the Dusk vanished in smoke, prompting a trio of black-hooded figures to take its place.  
For some reason, I barely flinched; my head hurting too much to care.  
"The beings before you are still Nobodies, but of a higher caliber. When a person of exceptional willpower fades, the Nobody they create becomes a reflection of their original self. But be warned...Even if they look human, they will still harm and deceive you without remorse or feeling. While these Nobodies are rare as they are, they had joined together to create an assemblage known as Organization XIII, commanding the lower Nobodies to their bidding. If one ever crosses your path, you should never fall for their tricks."

  
"Organization...XIII?" I repeated to myself through gritted teeth. If I let go of that vice, even for a second, I'm sure I would've screamed.  
"Nobodies act on a higher manner than Heartless, they can think and plan like the rest of us; working towards a goal of their own. While this goal is still a mystery, it would surely bring harm to the Worlds if they may succeed. For now, the King is hoping to find out the truth, as you three will do the same as well. If you can locate him, it can work in our favor to understand the Nobodies' riddle."

"Right...I got it..."   
"Very well then. But before you go, you will need new traveling clothes. Yours look a bit small on you right now."  
I unwarily blushed, almost ignoring how the negativity gripping my chest had vanished, just like that.  
 _Oh well, as long as I can start on my adventure, I'll get Riku back home in no time. That's all I want right now..._

~~

With Hollow Bastion under construction, hoping to restore the decrepit world to its former glory, it's no wonder why Leon and the gang were so haggled about the Nobodies showing up. Even if we had to worry about the Heartless before, whatever the Nobodies were doing with them was more than bad news, it was literally Worlds-threateningly bad. 

"So Sora, you know what's going on, right?" Leon was quick to get to the point, especially with the Restoration Committee having so much on their plate.  
"Well, there's this guy called Pete who's been plotting around with the Heartless; but I'm pretty sure he's not smart enough to tie his own shoes." I heard a laugh, light and gentle, but I ignored it for now; "But the ones we need to worry about the Nobodies."  
"And those Organization guys in charge too!" Goofy knowingly trembled, but another voice interrupted us.

"-You called?" We darted past the bailey, finding no source of the eavesdropper in sight. "You're really doing well, squirt."  
"Who's there!?" Even with my Keyblade raised, there was only a chuckle in reply, echoing through the entire town perhaps.  
"This calls for a celebration..."   
With Donald's squawk, he and Goofy went after the two Dusks that appeared by the hobbled abodes, Leon and I chasing after another duo heading toward the more-populated district; leaving a single metal gate away from their possible destruction.  
"You're not going anywhere!"   
  
The Dusks quivered in faux anticipation, contorting their inhuman forms as they dodged my Key and lunged their claw-like hands at me; cutting the air inches away from me.  
 _I know my new clothes are magic, but I just hope they know how to fix themselves..._

"-Sora!" Leon called, the swordsman holding off a pair of more able-bodied Nobodies; the menacing clink of sword scabbards replacing their hollow laughter.  
 _So these are the other Nobodies Yen Sid said about? They do look menacing...but why do they seem so-_  
"-I'll handle them, you keep the gate secure!" Thankfully enough, with a quick reversal, I was the next line of defense. Their clambering grew louder by the second, even as three more Dusks were pitted against me.  
So with my Keyblade raised I-

The atmosphere shifted, turning sub-zero and freezing me in place, the strange and unusual aura stealing my breath away besides that far-too familiar voice.

_{Ｗｈａｔ ｄｏ ｙｏｕ ｔｈｉｎｋ ｙｏｕ＇ｒｅ ｄｏｉｎｇ ｈｅｒｅ？}_

It roared through my head like a thunderstorm, letting my cry go unheard as I tried to keep my head from exploding. 

_＇Ｂｕｔ ｓｉｒｅ ｗｅ－．．．Ｗｅ ｗｅｒｅ ｏｎｌｙ ｄｏｉｎｇ ｗｈａｔ ｗｅ ｗｅｒｅ ｏｒｄ－＇_  
 _{Ａｎｄ ｗｈｅｎ ｄｉｄ ｙｏｕ ｂｅｌｉｅｖｅ ｈａｒｍｉｎｇ ＸＩＩＩ ｗａｓ ａｃｃｅｐｔａｂｌｅ？   
Ｄｏ ｙｏｕ ｎｏｔ ｆａｖｏｒ ｙｏｕｒ ｅｘｉｓｔｅｎｃｅ ｅｎｏｕｇｈ   
_ _ｔｏ ｌｅｔ ｉｔ ｇｅｔ ｄｅｓｔｒｏｙｅｄ ｌｉｋｅ ｔｈｉｓ！？}_  
 _＇Ｏｆ ｃｏｕｒｓｅ ｎｏｔ．．．Ｗｅ ｋｎｏｗ ｗｈａｔ ｗｅ ｄｅｓｉｒｅ．．．＇_

Surprisingly enough, the Lesser Nobodies were trembling in fear, but that was greatly overshadowed by my own overwhelming panic.  
 _Seriously, when did I become the telepathy translator!?_

_{Ｔｈａｔ＇ｓ ｇｏｏｄ ｔｏ ｈｅａｒ．．．Ｂｕｔ ｗｈｉｌｅ Ｉ＇ｍ ｈｅｒｅ， _   
_Ｉ ｄｏｎ＇ｔ ｗａｎｔ ｔｏ ｓｅｅ ａ ｓｉｎｇｌｅ ｈａｉｒ ｍｉｓｓｉｎｇ ｆｒｏｍ ＸＩＩＩ＇ｓ ｈｅａｄ．_   
_Ｉｆ Ｉ ｓｅｅ ｙｏｕ ｓｔｅｐ ｏｕｔ ｏｆ ｌｉｎｅ ａｇａｉｎ，_   
_ｙｏｕ ｗｉｌｌ ｎｏｔ ｂｅ ｓｐａｒｅｄ ｎｅｘｔ ｔｉｍｅ．}_   
_＇－Ｙｅｓ， ｓｉｒｅ！＇_

And just like that, the Dusks vanished in smoke and darkness, while the sword-wielders courteously bowed before doing the same; leaving my brain swirling and blurring the stonework below me.  
 _XIII...Did they mean from the Organization?  
Why would they consider me a part of that group!? __I just learned that it existed today!_

Even as I was battling my thoughts and sanity, I felt another presence behind me.  
Their touch felt like nothing to my fiery skin, a whisper of words barely reaching me, but I understood every second of it...

  
"-Sora! Sora, get it together, kid..." Leon was already by my side, grounding me to reality as my vision began to clear. "What happened back there?"  
"...I don't know." Honestly and truthfully, I could only mutter such an answer.  
 _Of course I had no idea...How was I supposed to know Lesser Nobodies even did that!? To be honest, I'm terrified of what the Organization could do on their own..._  
"-Donald! Goofy!" As I went back to the street, my two friends thankfully catching up to me, there was another disembodied laugh.

"The Keyblade...A truly marvelous weapon. If only it were in more...capable hands."  
"-Show yourselves! We're not falling for anymore tricks!"  
High atop the stone foundation, the Darkness swarmed and dissipated, leaving a single figure clad in a black cloak. Seconds later the numbers piled up; two, four, six, seven Nobodies in total made their entrance, looking down at us like a pack of vultures.

" "Organization XIII!" " Donald and Goofy yelped in surprise, but I was already hyping myself up.  
"Good, now we can settle this!"  
That however, solicited a chuckle from the middle-most Nobody, presumably the leader.  
"What a shame...And here I thought we could be friends." And just like that, with another wave of Darkness, the Organization members vanished from sight.  
 _"-Wak!_ Get back here!" 

Donald's trek was stopped short, however, just as another black-hood blocked our path.  
"Hey, what's the big idea!?"  
"Woops, sorry about that!" Our faceless threat sarcastically noted; "I guess I wasn't fast enough."  
"Then just move out of our way!" I clutched my Keyblade tighter, my knuckles surely going white.  
"Now _that's_ not polite, isn't it? So much for the hero learning some manners."  
"If you don't move, then we'll make you!" Donald and Goofy got their weapons up in defense, but the man kept goading on.  
"As if! I just wanna chat, no hard feelings, right?"

A pulse surged in my chest, barely hiding my wince in the process.  
"...Oh yeah? That's cheap coming from the Organization. You just watch those Nobody flunkeys do all the fighting!"  
"Oh dear, looks like you just got the wrong impression." He sounded almost unimpressed, "I'm doing them a favor by keeping them busy, no harm done here."  
I felt my heart stop, practically choking on the air in my lungs as a mental cannonball just nailed me in the skull.

_{Ｉ＇ｖｅ ｎｅｖｅｒ ｄｏｎｅ ｙｏｕ ａｎｙ ｆａｖｏｒｓ．．．_   
_Ｔｈｉｓ ｉｓ ｅｘａｃｔｌｙ ｗｈｙ Ｉ ｎｅｖｅｒ ｆｏｌｌｏｗｅｄ ｙｏｕ， _   
_ｏｒ ａｎｙｏｎｅ ｅｌｓｅ ｉｎ ｔｈａｔ ｄａｍｎ ｃａｓｔｌｅ！ Ｉ＇ｍ ｎｏｔ ｓｏｍｅ ｄｕｍｂ ｔｏｙ！}_

_Wha-...What's going on?_  
"Oh yeah, _that's_ the face!" He laughed, almost echoing through my brain even; "He used to give me that exact same look! Good job nailing that one down!"

_{－Ｓｈｕｔ ｕｐ！}_

I had my Keyblade raised, already charging at the Organization member with fury boiling through my veins.  
 _But that's not right...I feel so far away...Why-_

The world blurred once again, my Key gone and my fingers numbly gripping the stone railing. 

My lungs felt like they were underwater, battling the relentless tide.  
My skin was burning from the somber sunlight.  
My fingers were shaking to no end, almost losing grip on reality itself.  
And my heart...erratically pounding...

  
" "-Sora!" " Even with their short distance, their voices were miles away.  
Even with Donald's magic washing over me, even with Goofy's considerate hand on my back, my brain just felt like mush. My mind buzzing and screeching, whirling and stalling, static just buzzing on and on and on and on...  
And as the seconds painfully passed by, trying to find my heart in this hurricane, that one sentence kept repeating on and on and on; my only clue to this horrible sickness.

_{Look inside your heart, Hero of all. You'll find the answers you seek there...}_

~~

I was falling deeper and deeper into the dark, the waves and my heartbeat being the only sound in this abyss.   
_Still, it's strange...I had this same dream the day before the islands were gone, the day before I got my Keyblade too. Kinda funny how I'm doing this on my second adventure now._

For now, I brushed the coincidence aside, my descent slowed down as the glass mural became my beacon, comfortably landing on my feet in the middle of it all.   
For now, there was no one else but me...But I know I'm not alone, not right now.  
"Hello?" I called out, my voice hopelessly echoing in the space; "Is anyone there?"  
  
{So you really showed up.} I hesitated for a second, catching a person in white sitting beside the glass paopu, staring into the starless sky; {Sorry if I creeped you out, I'm sure you're not used to this, huh?}  
In all honesty, I was a bit unhinged. Sure, he apologized, but he seems way too calm about invading my head like that.  
  
 _Still, how is he even here in the first place!?  
_ " _You_ -...What are you doing here?"  
{I'm waiting for a friend.} He didn't turn to me yet, but lowered his head in consultation; {I haven't been here long, but I know when he sees me, he'll recognize me.}  
"...Recognize you?" On that note, my interloper stood up, finally facing me with a calm and considerate smile.

  
He was practically cloaked in an almost unnatural white, from the top of his curly white hair, from the sleek trenchcoat, and to the bottom of his boots, leaving only a dust of pink on his cheeks, navy-blue for the scarf and baby-blue for the eyes. Even for the friendly atmosphere, my brain was reeling with possibilities.   
"Are you-...a Nobody?" Unfortunately for me, the teen carefully nodded.  
{You got that right, Sora. My name's Ephemer.} He took a step forward, possibly to pass the greeting, tilting his head in confusion as I naturally recoiled back; {What's wrong? You afraid of handshakes?}  
"But you're from the Organization! Why should I trust you?" My Keyblade was already in my hand, ready to fight back when necessary.

_I know that Nobodies can plan ahead like regular people, but I've never seen this one before.  
_ _Is he supposed to be a trick or something? Dress a Higher Nobody like a Lesser one to throw me off?  
_ _I hate to admit it, but it's really doing the job right..._

The Nobody called "Ephemer" only blinked, almost taken aback from my obvious aggression, then...He smiled again, something pure and genuine and fake.  
{I told you I was a Nobody, but I'm not from the Organization. I was never really a part of the group in the first place.}  
"-Huh!?" Even with the possible mind-games, I was not prepared for that; "But you-...aren't you a-"  
{You really think I'm one of the Highers? Then I wouldn't be wearing this scarf, would I?} He started to close the distance, my feet rooted to the floor; {It's pretty impressive, right? I never knew I had it in me, but at least I kept to my roots.}  
 _Right...Nobodies used to be human...But only the guys in the black coats are strong enough to look like actual people._

"But how are you a _Lesser_ Nobody? They just look so... _different_."  
{I'm what you call an anomaly. I just changed myself to who I was in the past.} Ephemer cracked another grin, as if it was a simple joke; {Believe me, if you saw what I looked like before, you wouldn't even give me the chance to talk.}  
"Yeah but-...But this is so weird! Nobodies are supposed to act human to trick me, but you just seem so _real_. What's up with that?"  
{That's because I'm different, and I never really fit in with the others...} He surely laughed, soft and careless; {Back then, I was always the center of attention, but look where I ended up. But since you're here, what's so wrong about fixing up some loose ends?}  
"Maybe not doing _this_ , that's for sure...Besides, how did you get in my heart in the first place?"

  
Surprisingly enough, Ephemer stopped smiling, eyes widening with a strange sense of intrigue.  
{You don't remember? Well, I guess you wouldn't know when you were sleeping...}  
"-Hold up, you _knew_? Did something happen to me?"  
He paused, hesitated, scratching the back of his sheepish head. {That's complicated...It'll take me all day to explain it.}  
"Then I'll find the time to come back! I just want to know what's going on!"  
{Don't worry, I'll try to tell you everything I know. I'll be doing you a favor, alright?}  
  
 _I guess so...But he needs to give me a warning before he invades my head-space again..._  
" _Fine_...I guess I'll trust you." Even with the current situation, I groaned in a preemptive defeat; "Man, Donald and Goofy are going to be mad about this."  
{Then let's make it our little secret, just for a while. I'll try to stay on the down-low.}  
"Sounds like a plan..." Finally, and unfortunately enough, I finally took his hand; "Just don't do any funny business, alright?"

Ephemer only smiled, ignoring his bone-cold grip as I pulled myself back to the waking world, back to our adventure to save the Worlds once more. 

~~

Surprisingly enough, Ephemer was a pretty chill guy to hang out with, even if my expectations about Nobodies were already hanging in the balance. He gave me sound advice on how to deal with Heartless, takes the time to diffuse our quarrels with the Nobodies (though on rare occasions to avoid suspicion), ample choices on munny spending, and generally being an exciting not-person to have around.   
But all of that changed in Hollow Bastion, as we started to solve a problem with the main computer from the inside-out.

{-I'm not doing this.} Even if he toned down the Nobody's whispery-telepathy talk, it was still a bit unnerving hearing him so close to me; {You're on your own with this, Sora. I'll be at the Station if you need me.}  
Even if I wanted to talk back, wondering about the anxiety clouding my chest, I didn't want to give him away so soon.  
 _Why is he so upset about this? Is he afraid of computers or something?_

After we solved the mechanical puzzle, however, I was barely given the time to think.  
Even if we tore through the army of Heartless and Nobodies in the cavernous maw, stamina and mana easily spent, I barely heard a peep of my curly-haired phantom. And even if we defeated Demyx, one of the least antagonistic Organization members I've ever known, I could only hear Em's silent frustration on the other side.   
Even if I didn't want to fight, especially for someone who could be swayed to our side, I needed to figure this out on my own.

But of course, with tensions high over Xemnas (or Xehanort? Either or, he's definitely a bad guy), Axel suddenly being buddy-buddy with us, and Saix's insistence on me fighting Emblem Heartless, I was just so tired of all of this.  
  
I know Nobodies may not have hearts, but they know how to feel.  
I know about Kingdom Hearts, from the giant door in Darkness and the equally-giant heart in the sky.  
I know about the hearts I defeat, but I know that without my Keyblade, I'm helpless.  
And I know about Roxas, number XIII, a Keyblade wielder I'll never meet face-to-face...But even with all of this going on around me, the anxiety was practically killing me right now.

  
_I just need to find out why...I just-_

Suddenly, between the Heartless, the Nobodies, and the Organization, we were almost swallowed by an inky-black abyss...Then, there was light. The noise and chaos seconds before were gone, the cavernous battlefield replaced with a spacious void, leaving us only the sound of our thoughts and heartbeats.  
"Gawrsh...Where are we?" Despite Goofy and Donald trembling about, I was holding everything back to not grin like an absolute mad-man.  
 _If I can just get a good few minutes, I could check up on Ephemer and figure out what's wrong. For now, I just need to find out the right time to Dive..._  
Then, to our surprise, a lonely little box appeared, its only contents being a bar of ice cream and a photo.

"Roxas..." Even as I ignored Donald's confusion, I only focused on the sense of longing in my chest.   
_At least Em was right about one thing...If we look nothing alike, why should he throw his life out like that?_  
With a discontent sigh, I pocketed the picture and was just about to take the box, especially since I didn't want to ruin my shorts if the ice cream melted, I heard a familiar voice grumbling aloud to himself.

  
{-And no matter what we did, it _always_ circles back to this, huh?} Shadows and thorns marked every step, continuously pacing around the darkness as Donald and Goofy brought their weapons out in sure surprise.  
Of course, I was shocked too, especially since I wasn't in my Heart Station, but that wasn't the problem now.

"Ephemer, hey! I was worried about you, you know. Why didn't you say anything?"  
{It's because of _this,_ Sora, all of this!} He stomped his foot, his rage traveling around like an echo; {It doesn't even feel like anything changed, I'm watching everything going over and over again.}  
"What do you mean by _that,_ Em? Ever since we went into Tron's world, you just stopped talking to me altogether! I have no idea why you're so overdramatic about all of _this_ to begin wi-"  
{-No, you're being _under_ dramatic about this, _Sora._ } He practically spat the words like poison; {Everything about that world was meant to be controlled, just wrapped around some random guy's finger the whole time, following his command with no faults at all. I'm just so so so _so_ sick of all of this!}   
"Ephemer..." My voice came out as a whisper, drowned out by my friend's persistent fuming and paper-thin curses. "We can fix this...We just need t-"

  
_{No._ There's no fixing this now, not anymore...} My heart leaped up to my throat, his face almost inches away from mine, as if he teleported that short but terrifying distance to me; {Now you listen to _me_ , and you listen well...Do you have _any_ idea what it feels like to be helpless? That no matter what you do, the world just turns and you're stuck at the bottom of it all over again?}  
 _  
Ever since I took my first steps off the Island..._  
Unfortunately for me, the words remained stuck in my throat, just watching the fury burn bright in his eyes.

{When you were in the computer, fiddling around with its controls and systems, I knew...I remembered what it felt like, every single second, and I _hated_ myself for it...} A growl began to form, and I never felt so defenseless; {-All of this! We worked so hard on restoring the Worlds, and _this_ is how we're treated!? Thrown away! _Discarded!_ They thought _we_ were the virus! And now that we're out, it's the whole damn thing again! I'm nothing in their eyes, nonexistent! After _everything_ we've done to save this sorry excuse of a World, we're treated like a useless pile of nobodies!}  
  
  
 _...Restore the Worlds?  
_ _What does he mean by that?  
_ _And why didn't he tell me this before?_

{But I guess we're not so different after all, Sora.} He turned to me and smiled, full of malice and spite; {The big baddies just think we're _so~_ oblivious, they think we can just follow their plan, no questions asked? -Well tough luck with that, you bastards! We're gonna tear everything down to the ground...Or better yet, we make them _beg_ for mercy. If they think they're so high and mighty up there, what about _me,_ huh? If they weren't so dense about everything, they would _cower_ before me! _So_ _what_ if I look different than them, I know more than they do! They'll regret _every second_ of their lives for kicking me to the curb like that!}

For once in a very long time, I understood his pain, the one he hid behind a smile and hastily-kept secrets.   
Even if I don't know his past, he knew he was important, but the world didn't...Even as an anomaly in the Nobody's world, he was put on the sidelines like nothing.  
I was furious about the Organization, of course, but he had more than one reason. 

They stole my friends away, but they stole his life and dignity away.  
But that still begs the question...

  
"Who were you before?" He stopped, almost paralyzed in fear.  
{...What?}  
"Who were you as a _Nobody_? We never would've gotten this far if I saw what you really looked like...But now I think it's time for you to show us."  
" "Sora..." " Donald and Goofy easily hesitated, but I stood my ground.  
"Ephemer, I trust you. And no matter what you hid from us, I won't hate you for it...Just show us once, and I'll understand what you mean."

{Sora, I-...} He looked shell-shocked, just seconds away from crying even. {What if I hurt you?}  
"I know you won't. If you were with the Organization, you wouldn't be this nice to me. And if you didn't give Nobodies a second chance, we wouldn't be the friends we are now."  
Ephemer paused once more, stepping back to hide the pinprick of tears and already-red eyes.   
{Don't hate me for this...I don't want all of this to go to waste.}  
"I'll make sure of it, promise."  
  
Finally, with a calm but regretful smile, he pulled the hood over his head.  
{I'm sorry, Sora...} He closed his eyes, the white leather consuming his features like a pool of tar. And as the Nobody insignia was etched on the fabricated veil, the transformation began.  
  
My heart dropped once more as Ephemer writhed in certain agony, muffled screams overrun by the cacophony of broken bones and torn muscles; just watching as his body started to stretch and grow to horrifying size. Gloves ballooned into mittens, shoes elongating to pointed boots, shoulders and hips turned sharp and jagged, and even his scarf doubles in size around his neck; the treads writhing about like a pack of venomous snakes.   
And as he effortlessly towered over us, a goliath looking down on a group of ants, Ephemer began to laugh.

_{Ｔｈａｔ ｆａｃｅ， ｔｈａｔ ｔｅｒｒｏｒ．．．Ｒｏｘａｓ ｇａｖｅ ｍｅ ｔｈａｔ ｅｘａｃｔ ｓａｍｅ ｌｏｏｋ ｔｈｅ ｆｉｒｓｔ ｔｉｍｅ ｗｅ ｍｅｔ．．．}_ His expressionless dome didn't bother meeting our gaze, his amusement shallow and dry; _{Ｔｗｏ ｄｉｆｆｅｒｅｎｔ ｓｏｕｌｓ, ｂｕｔ ｔｈｅｙ ｔｈｉｎｋ ｓｏ ａｌｉｋｅ...Ｃａｎ'ｔ ｙｏｕ ｊｕｓｔ ｔａｓｔｅ ｔｈｅ ｉｒｏｎｙ, Ｓｏｒａ？}_  
"Ephemer, snap out of this!" I screamed into the void, but he didn't listen; "This isn't like you! You're different than this!"  
 _{Ｂｕｔ Ｉ ａｍ ｄｉｆｆｅｒｅｎｔ， ａｒｅｎ＇ｔ Ｉ？ Ｍａｙｂｅ ｔｈｉｓ ｉｓ ｔｈｅ ｒｅａｓｏｎ ｗｈｙ Ｉ ｌｏｏｋ ｔｈｉｓ ｗａｙ．．．Ｔｈｉｓ ｉｓ ｈｏｗ Ｉ ｗａｎｔ ｔｈｅｍ ｔｏ ｆｅｅｌ．} _Perhaps against his better judgment or his manic glee, he bent down in seconds flat, his face almost touching the floor and inches away from mine.

_{Ｄｏ ｙｏｕ ｕｎｄｅｒｓｔａｎｄ ｎｏｗ, Ｓｏｒａ？ Ｃａｎ＇ｔ ｙｏｕ ｊｕｓｔ ｆｅｅｌ ｉｔ ｉｎ ｙｏｕｒ ｈｅａｒｔ， ｆｅｅｌ ｉｔ ｐｏｕｎｄｉｎｇ ｉｎ ｙｏｕｒ ｃｈｅｓｔ ｒｉｇｈｔ ｎｏｗ？ Ｔｈａｔ ｉｓ ｍｙ ｄｅｓｉｒｅ...Ｉ ｗａｎｔ ｔｈｅ Ｏｒｇａｎｉｚａｔｉｏｎ ｔｏ ｆｅｅｌ ｍｙ ｆｅａｒ， ｍｙ ｈｅｌｐｌｅｓｓｎｅｓｓ, ｔｈｅ ｋｎｏｗｌｅｄｇｅ ｏｆ ｆｉｇｈｔｉｎｇ ｓｏｍｅｔｈｉｎｇ ｔｈｅｙ ｎｅｖｅｒ ｈａｄ ｃｏｎｔｒｏｌ ｏｆ． Ｉ ｓａｃｒｉｆｉｃｅｄ ｓｏ ｍｕｃｈ ｆｏｒ ｔｈｅ Ｗｏｒｌｄｓ, ａｎｄ Ｉ ｗａｎｔ ｔｈｅｍ ｔｏ ｕｎｄｅｒｓｔａｎｄ ｗｈａｔ ｉｔ ｍｅａｎｓ ｔｏ ｇｏ ａｇａｉｎｓｔ ｅｖｅｒｙｔｈｉｎｇ Ｉ ｅｖｅｒ ｗａｓ． Ｎｏｗ ｔｈｅｎ， ｗｉｌｌ ｙｏｕ ｄｏ ｔｈａｔ ｆｏｒ ｍｅ, my ｂｒａｖｅ ａｎｄ ｃｏｕｒａｇｅｏｕｓ Ｈｅｒｏ ｏｆ Ｌｉｇｈｔ？ Ｗｅ＇ｖｅ ｃｏｍｅ ｓｏ ｆａｒ... Ｔｈｅｒｅ'ｓ ｎｏ ｒｅａｓｏｎ ｔｏ ｂａｃｋ ｏｕｔ ｏｎ ｔｈｉｓ， ｎｏｔ ａｎｙｍｏｒｅ．．．}_

_Of course...It's not like I have too much of a choice right now..._  
I could only nod, carefully laying a hand atop his monstrous head to prove a point.  
Surprisingly enough, it was warm...  
  
"No matter what it takes, we'll do this together." And at those words, another blinding light consumed us, finding ourselves on the Gummi Ship sailing through the Worlds between.

~~~~

No matter what it takes, it was always Sora who pulled through the thick and thin, always sees the good in people before the bad.   
With his heart always on his sleeve, it's no wonder why Ansem and the Organization exploited this little flaw. By taking everything he holds dear to him, Sora could fall right into the palm of their hand, letting their ultimate plan come into fruition.   
But this was _Sora..._ When push comes to shove, he would do anything it takes to get his friends and home back, the one who turned into the Hero of Light just like that.  
For the island-loving dork I've known my whole life, he doesn't know when to stop pushing to get the happy ending we deserved...And right now, I saw the risks he would take to get to the end.

The clicks and pops of muscle and sinew were softer and infrequent, letting the rogue Nobody deflate into a smaller, more compact form and appearance; his eyes already glistening with tears.  
Past the hushed conversations from DiZ and Naminé, I knew that there was something special about this creature of the in-between, something hiding within his extensive knowledge and enigmatic memories. And as the teen was curled up on the floor, his weeping ringing through this abyss, I felt the natural sting of pity in my chest.

  
_No matter how long he's been in the Organization, he made far more sacrifices than necessary...For a Nobody like him, he definitely needed a heart to cry.  
_ Against my better judgment, for better or worse, I approached the miserable kid, making sure to keep my hood down as well.  
 _Even if he wouldn't recognize me, I'm not taking any chances._

Silently, carefully so, I crouched down to meet him, placing a placid hand on his head; holding back a gasp in surprise.   
_His hair's so soft...Even past the gloves, it's almost like a pillow._  
Predictably enough, Ephemer stopped crying, his still red as he turned to me.  
"I-...I'm sorry." Even in Ansem's face and voice, I felt so pathetic right now; "I didn't mean to startle you."

{No...I'm alright.} He only shook his head, a tiny smile on his lips. {I knew you were here the whole time. But it's very nice to meet you, Riku...}

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp...Looks like I accidentally gave Em a superiority complex...And besides, who wouldn't want to go apeshit over someone treating their Worlds-restoring saviors like a bunch of garbage? Sometimes he just needs to scream his problems out into the void (and the void was listening to every second of it...Riku, I mean.)  
> Since that scene was so confusing from both the game and novel (the scene with the empty void and Keyhole sea-salt ice cream), how about I make it even _more_ confusing?


End file.
